Memorial details
- Memorial type
- Composite
- District
- Huntingdon
- Town
- Norman Cross
- County
- Cambridgeshire
- Country
- England
- Commemoration
- Napoleonic Wars (1803-1814)
- Maker
- JOHN THOMPSON & SONS OF PETERBOROUGH (Builder)
LT COL H P CART DE LAFONTAINE (Architect)
MR JAMES ALEXANDER STEVENSON (Sculptor)
John Doubleday (Sculptor) - Ceremony
- Unveiled
Date: 28th July 1914
Attended by: RT HON BARON WEARDALE - Unveiled
Date: 2nd April 2005
Attended by: DUKE OF WELLINGTON KG, LVO, OBE, MC, DL. - Show More (1)
- Unveiled
- Lost
- Not lost
- WM Reference
- 325
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Current location
Just off the south-bound carriageway of the A1(M)
heading east on the A15 toward Yaxley and Peterborough.
A15
Norman Cross
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE7 3TE
England
OS Grid Ref: TL 16110 90920
Denomination: Undefined
- Previous locations
- Norman Cross
A1
Norman Cross
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE7 3SP
England
OS Grid Ref: TL15852 90493
Denomination: Undefined
- Norman Cross
- Description
- An eagle surmounting a column, which stands on a plinth bearing inscriptions on all four sides. The plinth stands on a three-stepped base, the top step being the shape of the inner palisade of the former Prisoner of War Depot; the second step is in the shape of the palisade that surrounded the Prison Camp. The three-stepped base stands on a paved platform, which incorporates floodlights.
- Inscription
- North face: THIS MEMORIAL/ PRESENTED BY THE ENTENTE CORDIALE SOCIETY/ TO THE COUNTY OF/ HUNTINGDON/ WAS UNVEILED/ BY THE THE RIGHT HON./ THE BARON WEARDALE/ PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY/ XXVIII JULY/ MCMXIV West Face: IN MEMORIUM/ THIS COLUMN/ WAS ERECTED ad 1914 TO THE MEMORY OF/ ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED & SEVENTY/ SOLDIERS AND SAILORS/ NATIVES OR ALLIES OF FRANCE/ TAKEN PRISONER OF WAR DURING THE/ REPUBLICAN AND NAPOLEONIC WARS/ WITH GREAT BRITAIN AD 1793-1814./ DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI/ ERECTED BY THE ENTENTE CORDIALE SOCIETY AND OTHER FRIENDS/ ON THE INITIATIVE OF THE LATE W H SANDS ESQ./ HONORARY SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY South face: THE ENTENTE CORDIALE SOCIETY/ CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL/ A. BARTON KENT ESQ./ HONORARY SECRETARY/ MRS W.H. SANDS/ HON. TREASURERS OF MEMORIAL FUND/ DR JAMES SCOTT- DR T.J. WALKER/ ARCHITECT/ H.P. CART DE LAFONTAINE/ SCULPTOR BUILDERS/ J.A. STEVENSON J. THOMPSON & CO East face: THE NORMAN CROSS MEMORIAL/ THIS MONUMENT ORIGINALLY STOOD NEARBY ON THE WEST SIDE/ OF THE GREAT NORTH ROAD. IT WAS VANDALISED AND THE EAGLE/ STOLEN IN 1990./ THE COLUMN WAS REASSEMBLED HERE AND REDEDICATED ON 31ST/ OCTOBER 1998 BY THE RIGHT HON SIR BRIAN MAWHINNEY MP. THIS/ REPLACEMENT EAGLE WAS SCULPTED BY JOHN DOUBLEDAY AND/ INAUGURATED ON THE 2ND APRIL 2005 BY/ HIS GRACE THE EIGHTH DUKE OF WELLINGTON/ KG, LVO, OBE, MC, DL/ THE MEMORIAL IS NOW IN THE CARE OF HUNTINGDONSHIRE DISTRICT/ COUNCIL/ THE NORMAN CROSS NAPOLEONIC PRISONER OF WAR DEPOT MEMORIAL TRUST/ AND LE SOUVENIR FRANCAIS North face: THIS MEMORIAL,/ PRESENTED BY/ THE ENTENTE CORDIALE SOCIETY/ TO THE COUNTY OF HUNTINGDON,/ WAS UNVEILED/ BY THE RIGHT HON./ THE BARON WEARDALE/ PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY/ XXVIII JULY/ MCMXIV West face: IN MEMORIAM/ THIS COLUMN/ WAS ERECTED AD1914 TO THE MEMORY OF/ ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY/ SOLDIERS & SAILORS/ NATIVES OR ALLIES OF FRANCE/ TAKEN PRISONER DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS/ WITH GREAT BRITAIN AD1793-1814/ WHO DIED AT THE MILITARY DEPOT/ AT NORMAN CROSS, WHICH FORMERLY/ STOOD NEAR THIS SPOT, AD1797-1814./ DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI/ ERECTED BY/ THE ENTENTE CORDIALE SOCIETY & OTHER FRIENDS/ ON THE INITIATIVE OF THE LATE W H SANDS ESQ./ HONORARY SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY
- Inscription legible?
- yes
- Commemorations
- Napoleonic Wars (1803-1814)
Total names on memorial: 0
Served and returned: 0
Died: 0
Exact count: yes
Information shown: Undefined
Order of information: Undefined
- Napoleonic Wars (1803-1814)
- Components
- Figure
Measurements: depth c1150, height c900, width c1150
Materials: Bronze - Column
Measurements: depth 400, height 3000, width 400
Materials: Stone - Plinth
Measurements: depth 910, height 1170, width 910
Materials: Stone - Plaque
Measurements: depth 10, height 550, width 550
Materials: Bronze - Plaque
Measurements: depth 10, height 544, width 544
Materials: Bronze - Steps
Measurements: depth 1500, height 150, width 1500
Materials: Stone - Steps
Measurements: depth 3300, height 210, width 3300
Materials: Stone - Steps
Measurements: depth 3500, height 160, width 3500
Materials: Stone - Paving
Measurements: depth 5700, width 5700
Materials: Stone
- Figure
- Listing information
- Norman Cross Memorial
- Grade II
- This memorial is protected, and listed on the National Heritage List for England maintained by Historic England. View list entry
- More about listing and the protection of historic places can be found on the Historic England website
- Condition
- French Prisoners (Napoleonic)
- WMO ID: 122132
- Condition: Fair [last updated on 21-05-2020]
- Help update these details if the condition is wrong
- History
- 2005: Ceremony to unveil new memorial on 2/4/2005. 2004: The site of the camp is now a designated Ancient Monument and it is planned to erect a new memorial in April 2005, nearer to the site of the original Prison. 1998: Since 1990 the Norman Cross Eagle Appeal have been working to restore the monument, and the column was re-erected on 31/10/1998. 1990: The column was toppled and the eagle stolen
- Trust fund/Scholarship
- No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A - Sponsorship
- Private
- Responsibility
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Reference
- Family Tree Magazine 33/October 2005
- BBC News - bbc.co.uk - Monday 31/1/2005 Memorial to French POW's returning.
- Peterborough Evening Telegraph 18/10/1990 Art thieves theory over missing eagle.
- The Evening Telegraph Monday 4/4/2005/ Norman Cross
- Friends of Norman Cross/ Inauguration of new Eagle, 2005
- Stilton Village Website: Campaigns - the Norman Cross/ 2005/ unveiling of replacement cross
- Dr Thomas J. Walker: The Depot for Prisoners of War at Norman Cross, Huntingdonshire 1796 to 1816 (first published 1913)
- Peterborough & Hunts Standard 1/8/1914: report of the unveiling of the original monument. Peterborough Evening Telegraph 18/10/1990: report of the theft of the Norman Cross Eagle. Peterborough Evening Telegraph 4/4/2005: report of the unveiling of the replacement memorial.
- Our Blog ukniwm.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/dulce-et-decorum-est-pro-patria-mori/
- Our Blog ukniwm.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/i-am-the-enemy-you-killed-my-friend/
This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.
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© WMR-325
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