Rededication of Stonehaven War Memorial

This month marks the 100^th anniversary of the unveiling of Stonehaven’s war memorial, situated on Black Hill to the south of the town. To mark this anniversary, a rededication ceremony and parade will be held at the War Memorial this Saturday, 20^th May 2023. See here for more details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2446768618795666/

Designed by a local architect, John Ellis, the striking memorial represents a ruined Doric temple with a 10½ ton remembrance stone in the centre. The stone lists the names of 162 local men and one woman killed whilst serving in the First World War (this link will take you to a list of names of those commemorated). The external lintels above the columns are inscribed with the names of significant battles of the conflict such as Mons, Ypres, the Somme and Jutland, and the interior includes a quote from the English soldier Donald Hankey’s Student in Arms: “One by one death challenged them: one by one they smiled in his grim visage and refused to be dismayed.” Hankey himself was killed on the Somme in 1916. 

The design by John Ellis from our Stonehaven Heritage Society collection (reference DD1813/4/3).

The first mention proposing a war memorial I could find was in the summer of 1917 when the Town Council discussed securing a memorial, and ultimately this was delegated to a committee to organise. 

Town Council minutes discussing proposed memorial in August 1917 (from AS/Kstn/1/7)

Designs were submitted by Ellis in 1921 when he was asked by the Committee to prepare two plans: one at Black Hill and one for a cross at the Market Square, in case the Black Hill site wasn’t made available by Lady Cowdray, the proprietor of the land. Fundraising efforts ensured the full cost – around £850 - was met by the date of the unveiling on the 20^th May 1923.

Subscription book for donations to the Memorial (reference AS/Kstn/25/2)

Stonehaven Victory & Thanksgiving Fund was formed in 1945 to pay for the additional inscriptions of 48 names of those killed in the Second World War. These names were added to stones around the base of the memorial. Money was raised via Sports Days, dances and a gala held by the Golf Club. When fundraising ceased in February 1946, the fund – which was also known as the Welcome Home Fund - stood around £1138.  The remainder formed a benevolent fund for the benefit of ex-servicemen and the dependents of servicemen who had lost their lives.

If you are interested in finding out more about how communities around the North East remembered their war dead after the WW1, why not take a look at our Hard Vrocht Grun resource on the North East Folklore Archive website: http://www.nefa.net/hvg/index.htm.

Katy Kavanagh, Senior Archivist