Plymouth Second World War Memorial to the Civilian Dead

The memorial comprises a two-tier octagonal drum-shaped limestone monument. It stands within a sunken circular paved area which is bounded by four sections of low curved walls constructed of Plymouth limestone. The walls are stepped and interrupted by four entrance points, each with a set of steps of varying heights. Later steel rails have been added to three of the four entrance points. Each side of the upper tier contains a bronze plaque, one of which displays a dedication that reads : ‘THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED TO THE SACRED MEMORY OF THE 1,174 CIVILIANS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BY ENEMY AIR ATTACKS ON THE CITY OF PLYMOUTH DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 - 1945 OF WHOM 397 ARE INTERRED IN THE NEARBY COMMUNAL GRAVE AND WHOSE NAMES ARE INSCRIBED ON THIS MEMORIAL’. Of the seven other plaques, one is blank and the other six bear the names of 397 people who are interred in a nearby communal grave.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 8 December 2016.