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Plymouth Blitz war memorial

The Plymouth Blitz war memorial is a freestanding octagonal monument. It is constructed of limestone and has six bronze plaques on the upper level bearing names. It is located within Efford Cemetery in the sunken section of a roundabout.

In 2010 the Grants for War Memorials scheme was approached for funding. The project was to clean the memorial, surrounding areas and plaques. In addition to this the memorial required re-pointing and some isolated stone repairs. The memorial was heavily discoloured so use of the DOFF steam clean system was proposed. The stone also required some cleaning using poulticing as the bronze plaques had lost their protective wax coating leading to some copper staining to the stone. The plaques were to be cleaned using a JOS system before being re-waxed. The project was offered a grant of £7,936.

During the works it became apparent that further stone repair was required. Both stone repairs were undertaken on a like-for-like basis. These were indent repairs as the damage was too deep to be addressed using mortar repairs and this alternative method allows for the most retention of original material. In addition to this, it became apparent the memorial was retaining moisture and this had been the cause for the heavy algae build up. The use of lime mortar should encourage the drying out of the memorial over time. The project was delivered under budget and, as such, the final grant awarded was £6,880.

The memorial commemorates the 1,174 civilians who lost their lives during the Second World War air attacks on Plymouth. The worst of these attacks took place over 7 nights through March and April 1941 and became known as the Plymouth Blitz. The memorial within Efford cemetery is the only memorial within the city to be dedicated to the civilian dead and within 10 metres of the war memorial is a mass grave for those victims. The main dedication reads:

“This memorial was erected to
the sacred memory of the
1174 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”

It is essential in cases such as these that an appropriate maintenance plan is put in place. It will be necessary to monitor the condition of the memorial and its pointing during the drying out period. In addition it is important to ensure that the protective wax on bronze plaques is reapplied at appropriate intervals to stop corrosion and staining of the stone.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM3242
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 25785

Plymouth Data-information on Plymouth Blitz and war memorials

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

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