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At the north end of the Long Gardens, in front of the Municipal offices, is this statue. It stands as a memorial to the men of Cheltenham who lost their lives in South Africa, while fighting in the Boer War (1899-1902). The war resulted in the conversion of the Boer republics into British colonies. These colonies later formed part of the Union of South African. The Boer War led to a change of British foreign policy from one of "splendid isolation" to one that involved looking for allies and improving world relations. That's enough history, back to the memorial.The statue was created by R.L Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham, and was unveiled on 17th July 1907 by Sir Ian Hamilton. The inscription on the base of the memorial reads "This memorial is erected in memory of those Cheltenham men, who, either as regulars, or volunteers, died in their Country's service, during the South African War, and on the side panels hereof are recorded the names of those Cheltenham men who volunteered, and served in the war."
To finish off today's post below is a photo taken by H.C Giles on 10th June 1901 showing members of the Cheltenham Rifle Volunteers on their return from South Africa. (The soldiers are in the middle of the crowd).
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13 comments:
nice post marley! i love old photographs like this! the 'patina' on the old statue is cool too!
I like the way the memorial statue looks exactly like the soldiers in the photo! I read about this war in Churchill's bio by William Manchester a while ago. Good time to look at that bit of history again. (I have a now & then post today too...except mine is of objects. I like it that you do people so well.)
The bowed head on the statue is very evocative. Tis was a fascinating read and both images worked perfectly to cmpliment the text.
I wonder if the statues I have seen of Civil War generals and those who fought on all the wars and even in my Korean Police Action are worth it.
I think any one of those moldering in their graves would stand tall in life rather than go through the ordeal of death and being memorialized in bronze or marble if they had the chance.
I just hate wars and people who dream up this idea of war.
The artists who create these are worth their salt in other ways that we all appreciate. I love the statue of David and Pietà but am not nuts about the war statues. Can you imagine what the landscape would look like had Tojo or Hitler won World War II.
I have heard of the Boer War but didn't remember much about it. Nice memorial and photos.
marley, I'm catching up on your posts while I have a breathing space! Your macro of the berry is fantastic! Would you consider selling me a print? E-mail me.
A bit of history to go along with your photos is always enjoyable.
Nice post. I have been to South Africa twice. I have noticed that the people from British origin were really nicer than the other whites ones. They hardly talked to black people though.
The statue is so beautifully solemn. A very nice tribute. I also love the old photograph. But then you probably could guess that I would :)
Finally a statue which thinks maybe about the madness of the war
What a fine post, Marley. I love the historic photo paired with yours.
he Boer War led to a change of British foreign policy from one of "splendid isolation" to one that involved looking for allies and improving world relations.
Hm. Sounds like a page out of the history books to which America should sit up and pay attention. Interesting information and great photos, Marley.
I love statues!! and this one is very nice.
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