Exeter City War Memorial

The Exeter City War Memorial was commissioned in 1919 and dedicated in 1923 to commemorate the First World War, with a bronze plaque added later to remember those lost in the Second World War. Designed by John Angel, the memorial is constructed from Devon granite and bronze.

The memorial stands on a square base, enclosed by two walls separated by a public footpath. The overall height is 9.4 metres, rising from a 6.1-metre high plinth. The plinth has a cross shape with chamfered intersections, surmounted by an octagonal column. Atop the column is a 2.4-metre high bronze statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory, holding a laurel wreath and standing over a dragon representing the Demon of Tyranny and Wrong. Four additional bronze figures are sculpted onto the plinth: The Soldier at rest, The Sailor astride a ship with a figurehead displaying Exeter's coat of arms and motto 'semper fidelis', The Prisoner of War (inspired by the work of Lady Owen and Exonians with prisoners of war in Germany), and The Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse holding bandages, and with a sheaf of corn and a shrapnel shell at her feet, acknowledging the contribution of women during the First World War. An inscription at the top of the plinth reads: "IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF EXETER AND DEVON WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919 THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE." A cavity within the plinth contains a casket holding the names of 970 people from Exeter who perished in the First World War; these names were also recorded in a book held within the city archives. The added bronze plaque reads: "THIS TABLET IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO FELL IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945." The memorial is set on a raised, square stepped base surrounded by floral beds and enclosed by a low stone wall with dome-capped corner pillars. A similar low stone wall surrounds the entire memorial and footpath, with four access points, one to the west featuring three steps.