878/0/10049 MANSTON ROAD
11-JUL-05 Margate Cemetery
The Surf Boat Memorial, Margate Cemetery

GV II
Cemetery memorial. Circa 1898 memorial manufactured by J Whitehead and Sons Ltd of Westminster. It is dedicated to the nine men who died when the Margate Surf boat "A Friend to All Nations" capsized whilst answering a distress call from the ship "Persian Star" on 2nd December 1897 who are buried here. Constructed of white marble it is in the form of a large rock surmounted by an anchor, a rope and a lifebelt inscribed "Margate Surf Boat". To the right of the rock is a representation of "Hope" in the form of a life size weeping female figure in late C19 dress kneeling and holding a laurel wreath. The memorial is bounded by a square white marble kerb with eight tablets bearing the names of the eight crew members who perished and a quotation, surrounded by a carved laurel wreath in relief. The ninth man, Charles Troughton, who was superintendant to the Margate ambulance Corps has his name inscribed to the front of the kerb. The inscription on the front of the rock reads "IN MEMORY OF NINE HEROIC MEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BY THE CAPSIZING OF THE MARGATE SURF BOAT "FRIEND TO ALL NATIONS" IN ATTEMPTING TO ASSIST A VESSEL IN DISTRESS AT SEA 2ND DEC 1897."
HISTORY: After the disaster a fund was raised by local dignitaries and councillios to support the five widows and seventeen children left destitute. Funds came from all over the world, the "Daily Telegraph" raised over £1,000 and a donation of £35 was received from Queen Victoria. The final total was almost £10,000. The first proposal was that the money could be used to build almshouses for the families but in the end it was considered that two memorials was "more appropriate". The majority of the fund was spent on two memorials and the funeral procession and the residual capital used to provide a small widow's pension of 15 shillings a week, deemed a "reasonable sum". The funeral was attended by almost 2000 people and along the route of the procession local shops were closed, blinds were drawn and bells tolled from all the churches. Because of this monument's size the road to the cemetery required strengthening and a specially designed carriage was fabricated to transport it to its site. The second memorial was erected on Margate seafront in the form of a bronze figure of a Lifeboatman looking out to sea opposite the point where the survivors were washed to shore.

An opulent late C19 cemetery monument with historic interest, commemorating a local maritime tragedy which touched the whole nation. It is one of a number of listed memorials at Margate cemetery.

English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.