Ceremony Commemorates First World War Tragedy
Hundreds of people attended a ceremony in Medway on Sunday (10 September) which honoured 130 Royal Navy sailors killed by German bombs during the First World War.
The ceremony, which included a memorial service, march past, parade and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, was organised by the universities of Greenwich and Kent, in collaboration with the Royal Naval Association.
The service was held in front of the Drill Hall Library on the Universities at Medway campus at Chatham Maritime. Taking part were more than 150 war veterans, a Royal Marines band from HMS Raleigh in Devonport, a Naval Honour Guard from HMS President, standard bearers from the Royal Naval Association and local sea cadets. Many members of the general public viewed the service from Central Avenue on the shared campus.
On the evening of September 3, 1917, a German Gotha bomber dropped two bombs on the HMS Pembroke Royal Naval barracks – the building that now serves as the Drill Hall Library. The bombs killed more than 130 naval ratings who were sleeping in the building.
Professor Alan Reed, representing the Universities at Medway, who organised the event, said: ‘The aim of the re-dedication ceremony was to show that, as custodians of the site, we very much respect its history, and acknowledge the sacrifice made by those sailors nearly 90 years ago.’
The memorial consists of a bronze plaque mounted on granite plinth, which is located outside the entrance to the Drill Hall Library. It can be viewed without entering the building, thereby allowing all visitors to see it at any time.
Guest of honour Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks DSC unveiled the monument by pulling back a white ensign draped over it. During his speech he praised the work of the universities of Greenwich and Kent, together with Medway Council, for transforming the former barracks into the present-day £15 million Drill Hall Library.
At 184 metres in length, it is thought to be the longest library in Europe, with more than 134,000 books and journals plus state-of-the-art computing and study facilities.
The unveiling was followed by a short service of rededication led by The Reverend David Preston.
Among those who laid wreaths were John Voice who, as a grandson of one of the casualties, represented all the relatives; David Nightingale, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent; and Professor David Wills, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich.
Invited guests from the Royal Navy, Medway Council, Pembroke House, the Royal Engineers, Chatham Historic Dockyard, the University of Kent, the University of Greenwich and other organisations also took part in the service.
After the service members of the public viewed a special exhibition inside the Drill Hall Library, which included a selection of photographs and an audio-visual display about one of the victims, Arthur Edward Voice. John Voice also provided personal items connected with his grandfather.
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Notes for Editors:
1. The exact number of those who died during the bombing raid is unclear as the list of casualties for that day is recorded by ship. This resulted in the number of dead varying, depending on the source.
2. The new plaque replaces a much smaller one which was housed inside the Drill Hall, and which went missing in the two decades between the Royal Navy departing the site and the universities of Greenwich and Kent taking possession of the building.
3. Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks DSC is Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland.
4. If members of the public would like more details, or have further information about the history of the Drill Hall, they can contact the Drill Hall Enquiry Desk on 020 331 8383.
5. The display was produced by Ben Watson with support from the rest of the staff in the Drill Hall Library. The replica Book of Remembrance and the research to produce it was compiled by Peter Wood.
For further information contact:
Nick Davison
Public Relations Unit
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 8092
Email: n.a.p.davison@gre.ac.uk
Nick Ellwood
Marketing and Communications Officer
University of Kent at Medway
Tel: 01634 888 879
Email: N.J.Ellwood@kent.ac.uk