Dover Patrol Mamorial WW1

The Dover Patrol

At the highest point of the cliffs at St. Margaret's Bay, at a spot known as Leathercote Point, there stands a memorial which commemorates the achievements of the Dover Patrol, which included the defense of the Straits of Dover, the attacks on the Belgian coast, the convoy of troops to France, and the wounded home, and the ships passing through the Channel, during the first Great War.

It consists of an obelisk of granite 83ft. 9ins high and was unveiled by H.R.H the Duke of Windsor (then Prince of Wales) on 27th July 1921. A similar memorial stood on the highest part of the French coast, at Cap Blanc Nez until the Germans destroyed it, and a smaller one at New York Harbour. All three were erected by public subscriptions, amounting to over £45,000, contributed in nearly 7,000 separate names from all parts of the world. A Book of Remembrance can be seen in the Town Hall, and a copy in the Parish Church at St. Margaret's Bay.

This large Stone Cross of Sacrifice stands in St. James' Cemetery on a three-tiered octagonal stone base above the graves of the men who died in the illustrious raid on Zeebrugge on St. George's Day 1918. The leader of this heroic exploit, the late Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes, was buried here in January 1946. Nearby stands a memorial depicting St. George and the Dragon which was erected by the Keyes Family in memory of both Lord Keyes and his elder son, Lt.-Colonel Geoffrey Keyes, V.C. The Zeebrugge Bell, originally stolen by the Germans from a Belgian Church, and hung on Zeebrugge Mole to give warning of attacks, now hangs in a special belfry in front of the Town Hall. Each St. George's Day the Mayor strikes "Eight Bells" on this famous relic, prior to going to the cemetery to place wreaths upon the graves of Zeebrugge's noble dead.

This obelisk, standing in New Bridge near the sea front, was erected in 1861 by the men of the 60th Rifles in memory of comrades who died in the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

This symbolic memorial, depicting a life-size bronze figure of Youth, feet encircled by thorns and hands up stretched to grasp a fiery Cross, was originally designed by a Dovorian, the late Mr. Reginald R. Goulden. It was unveiled on November 5th, 1924, by the then Vice-Admiral Sir Roger Keyes as a tribute to the people of Dover who died in World War I, and a plaque has since been added in memory of Dovorians who fell in World War II, the names of the fallen may be seen in a Book of Remembrance in the Town Hall.


WW1 Dover Patrol Memorial