Memorial details

Memorial type
Stone of remembrance
District
Lichfield
Town
Alrewas
County
Staffordshire
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Dedicated
    Date: 9 July 2005
    Attended by: Members of the Neptune Association
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
72040

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Current location

Memorial is in Blue Zone
part of Royal Naval Review section.
National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road
Alrewas
Lichfield
Staffordshire
DE13 7AR
England

OS Grid Ref: SK 1843114614
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Pyramid-shaped Derbyshire gritstone stone of remembrance on square stone base with rectangular bronze plaques affixed to each side, below insignia. The front face has a plaque engraved with a map of the region above a plaque which is engraved with descriptions of the sinking of the ships. the three other faces of the memorial have plaques with rolls of honour of lives lost.
Inscription
Plaque 1: THE SINKING OF HM SHIPS NEPTUNE AND KANDAHAR/ ON THE EVENING OF 18TH DECEMBER 1941, FORCE "K" THE CRUISER RAIDING SQUADRON, LED BY/ HMS NEPTUNE (CAPTAIN RORY O'CONOR) WITH AURORA AND PENELOPE, ESCORTED BY DESTROYERS/KANDAHAR, LIVELY, HAVOCK AND LANCE, SAILED FROM MALTA TO INTERCEPT AND DESTROY A CRUCIAL/ ITALIAN CONVOY, LOADED WITH PANZER TANKS, FUEL AND VITAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT, BOUND FOR TRIPOLI./ AT 0106, ON THE MORNING OF 19TH DECEMBER, WHEN CLOSING THE LIBYAN COAST, NEPTUNE STRUCK/ THE FIRST OF FOUR MINES, DISABLING HER RUDDERS AND PROPELLERS, LATER SEVERELY DAMAGING HER/ PORT SIDE AMIDSHIPS AND FINALLY SINKING HER BEFORE DAWN AT 0404./ RESCUE ATTEMPTS WERE MADE BY KANDAHAR AND LIVELY BUT, AT 0318 WHEN KANDAHAR HERSELF/ STRUCK A MINE WHICH WRECKED HER ENTIRE STERN SECTION, ALL SHIPS WERE ORDERED BY NEPTUNE TO/ WITHDRAW FROM FURTHER RESCUE ATTEMPTS./ AURORA AND PENELOPE, THEMSELEVES TEMPORARILY DAMAGED BY CLOSE MINE EXPLOSIONS, HAD FOR/ THEIR OWN SAFETY, TO CLEAR THE COAST BEFORE DAWN SO RELUCTANTLY WITHDREW, ESCORTED BY THE/ REMAINING DESTROYERS./ AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF SURVIVORS TRIED TO SWIM TO THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF THE KANDAHAR BUT DUE TO/ ROUGH SEAS AND DARKNESS NONE WERE SUCCESSFUL. ONLY ONE, ABLE SEAMAN NORMAN WALTON,/ REMAINED ALIVE ON A CARLEY FLOAT TO BE RESCUED BY CALLIOPE, AN ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT FIVE DAYS/ LATER./ THE DESTROYER JAGUAR, SENT FROM MALTA, RESCUED THE REMAINDER OF KANDAHAR'S SHIP'S/ COMPANY BEFORE DEAWN ON THE 20TH DECEMBER THEN SANK THE SERIOUSLY DAMAGED DESTROYER./ NO SURVIVORS FROM NEPTUNE WERE SEEN./ THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THE VERY BRAVE 763 OFFICERS AND MEN FROM NEPTUNE, INCLUDING/ 150 FROM THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY, 37 FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND 75 ROYAL MARINES, AND THE/ 73 FROM KANDAHAR WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN OUR DEFENCE./ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM/ BATTLE HONOURS/ HMS NEPTUNE/ ATLANTIC 1939/ CALABRIA 1940/ MEDITERRANEAN 1940/ BISMARCK 1941/ MALTA CONVOYS 1941/ HMS KANDAHAR/ EAST INDIES 1940/ LIBYA 1941/ GREECE 1941/ MEDITERRANEAN 1941/ CRETE 1941/ MALTA CONVOYS 1941/ THIS MEMORIAL IS SET JUST SOUTH OF SOUTH-EAST TO ALIGN WITH WHERE THE WRECK OF NEPTUNE LIES/ ERECTED BY THE NEPTUNE ASSOCIATION - 2005 Plaque 2: HMS NEPTUNE - SUNK 19TH DECEMBER 1941/ THOSE WHO WERE LOST THAT WE MAY HAVE OUR TODAY/ ROYAL NAVY (Names...)/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM Plaque 3: HMS NEPTUNE - SUNK 19TH DECEMBER 1941/ THOSE WHO WERE LOST THAT WE MAY HAVE OUR TODAY/ ROYAL NAVY (Names...)/ ROYAL MARINES (Names...)/ SOUTH AFRICAN NAVAL FORCES (Names...)/ ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY (Names...)/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM Plaque 4: HMS KANADAHAR - SUNK 20TH DECEMBER 1941/ THOSE WHO WERE LOST THAT WE MAY HAVE OUR TODAY/ ROYAL NAVY/ (Names...)/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM/ "THERE ARE NO FLOWERS ON A SAILOR'S GRAVE/ NO LILLIES ON AN OCEAN WAVE/ THE ONLY TRIBUTE IS THE SEAGULL'S SWEEP/ AND THE TEARDROP ON A LOVED ONE'S CHEEK."/ ANON/
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 836
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 836
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Ship, service, surname, forenames, rank
    Order of information: Alphabetical within ship and service
Components
  • Stone of remembrance
    Measurements: height c. 213mm
    Materials: Stone - Derbyshire Gritstone
  • Plaques / Panels with names
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
Listing information
Condition
Costs

Comments: War Memorials Trust gave a grant of £200 towards cost of construction.

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Corporate
Details: Neptune Association

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.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-72040

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