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)
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

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • Norman Cross
    A1
    Norman Cross
    Huntingdon
    Cambridgeshire
    PE7 3SP
    England

    OS Grid Ref: TL15852 90493
    Denomination: Undefined
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
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
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
  • Historic England
Condition
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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