H M Prison Dartmoor: Obelisk in the French Prisoner of War Cemetery

A memorial erected in c1866-8 commemorating the French prisoners of war who died at Dartmoor Prison during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809-1816.

MATERIALS: Dartmoor granite.

DESCRIPTION: a memorial in the shape of an obelisk set on a raised horse-shoe shaped base. Formerly, as shown on a photograph of the memorial of c1900, the obelisk stood on a granite stone rubble base forming a rockery planted with ferns.

Underneath a bronze emblem of an eagle at the top of the obelisk, is the following inscription: 'IN - MEMORY- OF THE - FRENCH - PRISONERS - OF WAR - WHO DIED - BETWEEN THE - YEARS - 1809 & 1814 - AND LIE - BURIED HERE - DULCE ET - DECORUM EST - PRO PATRIA - MORI'

Underneath is a small bronze plaque added in 2009 on the occasion of the bicentenary of the first French prisoner of war arriving at Dartmoor Prison, reading: '24 MAI - 1809-2009 - HOMMAGE - A VOUS - SOLDATS ET MARINS - DE L'EMPIRE - QUI AVEZ, CHANCUN - PAR VOTRE HISTOIRE - MARQUE LA - GRANDE HISTOIRE - DE NOTRE EUROPE'.

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, 23 November 2017.