Memorial

Monument 1st Shell 1914 Promenade

Hartlepool

Memorial Name: Monument 1st Shell 1914 Promenade (H115.21)

NEWMP Ref No.: H115.21

Parish: Hartlepool

Original Location:

Promenade.

Set into a carved stone on low wall leading to the promenade near High Battery.

Which War:

1914-18

Dedication, Creation or Publication date:

Unveiled 17th December 1921 by Col. Robson, C.M.G., D.S.O.

Materials Used:

Marble plaque, metal plate.

Who Commissioned:

John Sanderson, Esq., a native of this Borough.

Ownership and Maintenance: Accepted at the unveiling by His Worship the Mayor, Ald. J.T. Turner, on behalf of the Corporation.

Inscription:

On upper plaque:
This memorial replaces
an earlier memorial presented by
John Anderson Esq.
a native of Hartlepool
Refurbished by Carl Paylor 27.10.2006

On marble plaque:
This tablet marks the place
where the first shell from the
leading German battle cruiser
struck at 8.10 am on the
16th of December 1914
and also records the place where
(during the bombardment)
the first soldier was killed
on British soil by enemy action
in the Great War 1914-1918

Memorial Description:

Plaque 16 inches high x 30 inches wide (406mm x 762mm)

The lettering is incised and gilded using Roman capitals.

Above is it a small metal plaque 4 inches high x 9 inches wide (102mm x 228mm) which tells the story of the previous memorial.

Names:

None

Notes:

1. During the bombardment, 1150 shells fell in 42 minutes, during which 112 people died and 200 were injured.

2. This was unveiled immediately after the ceremony of unveiling the “Triumphant Youth” column when the position was known as ‘Lighthouse Slope’.

3. The plaque is situated close to the Heugh Gun Battery, which played a significant role in defending Hartlepool during the bombardment. The link below leads to one of two websites covering the work in respect of this site.

4. Col. Robson, who unveiled the original plaque, was in charge of the garrison at the time of the bombardment.

5. The first shell fired from the German cruiser killed Private Theophilus Jones, serving with the Durham Light Infantry, who died on December 16th 1914.

External Links:

Film on the bombardment
The Bombardment

Sources:

Photos: C. Sanders; James Pasby

Newcastle Daily Chronicle
19/12/1921 reports unveiling.

Newcastle Weekly Chronicle
24/12/1921 reports unveiling.

Northern Echo
19/12/1921 reports unveiling.

Illustrated memorial of the east coast raids by the German Navy and airships, including authentic list of persons killed. Middlesbrough, 1915. Hood, Harold (copy in Newcastle Local Studies Library)

At the Going Down of the Sun Derek Boorman; 1988; Ebor Press, York; ISBN 1 85072041X page 111 has photo.

The Guns of the North East; Coastal Defences from the Tyne to the Humber Joe Foster; 2004. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 1 84415 088 7