First World War Memorial Gibraltar

The Gibraltar War Memorial, also known as the British War Memorial, commemorates the fallen of the First World War. It was created by Jose Piquet Catoli of Barcelona, Spain and unveiled at a ceremony on 27 September 1923. The Carrara marble sculpture shows a sailor and a soldier holding up the national flag and a laurel wreath side by side. The monument stands on an esplanade with steps, on which there are several plaques:

‘To Our Heroes of Gibraltar and of the Straits Patrol 1914-1918 This tablet is Dedicated by the Association of Gibraltarian Residents in the Argentine Republic.’

'This Esplanade and These Steps Were Constructed in the Year 1921 During the Governorship of His Excellency General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith Dorrien G.C.B., G.C.M.G., D.S.O. They Form a Memoria of His Regard for the Welfare of the People of Gibraltar‘

’This Tablet is Dedicated by Belgium to the Fortress of Gibraltar in Grateful Recognition of the Warmth and Understanding With which During the Years 1940-1944 It Received Belgians from Enemy Occupied Europe on Their Way to Serve in the Allied Struggle for Freedom 21st July 1945'

Plaques are also affixed to the base of the monument:

East Side:
'In grateful remembrance of the Citizens of Gibraltar who gave their Lives in The Great War.
Benzecry, Solomon Bossano, Leopold Gustavino, Joseph Harrison, Lionel oseph Briggs
Jones, Albert Oliveri, Edward Piri, Francis Daniel Pitman, Michael Albany Wallace
Reading, Harry Ruggier, Alfred J. Ryan, Andrew Stewart, Thomas M. C.Undery, John'

North Side:
'To the Memory of all Officers & Seamen of the Gibraltar Straits Patrol who gave their Lives for their King and Empire in The Great War'

South Side:
‘To the Memory of the Officers & Men of all Services who gave their Lives in the Great War and are interred at the North Front Cemetery where their names are recorded’

West Side:
‘This Memorial was erected by the People of Gibraltar to commemorate The Great War’.

The esplanade also features two Russian cannons captured during the Crimean War, which were donated to Gibraltar by the British government.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Anne Bolijn
• - https://www.ministryforheritage.gi/heritage-and-antiquities/wwi-memorial-1039