Reprieve for Dundee cenotaph that has been ‘under fire’ from errant motorists
Dundee's historic Cenotaph is a tribute to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in all conflicts.
The war memorial in central Dundee has itself been in the wars, having fallen victim to three errant drivers in recent months.
In all incidents, heavy vehicles have mounted the pavement and hit the palisade fencing around the cenotaph. It appears that the drivers failed to negotiate the nearby traffic circle, leading them to lose control of their vehicles.
With the municipal budget not being able to cover the repairs, it fell on Tourism Dundee to help fix the fence that surrounds the historic cenotaph, which last year celebrated its centenary in grand style.
Local history enthusiast and member of the Dundee Diehards group, Henry Bugden, volunteered his services. Last week, he and his team from Buggy’s Welding & Garden Maintenance repaired the fence.
He said he loves history and is proud to ensure that historical sites are kept in good condition
.
He previously cleaned up the historic graveyard at the Wesleyan Church, in which Boer and British soldiers are buried.
Henry can be contacted on 083 314 9164 should more information be required on what sites he can follow up with.
The Dundee, District and Mines Cenotaph (as it is officially known) was built to commemorate those men (and one woman) who made the supreme sacrifice; and was officially handed over on August 23, 1923.
It was erected by Messrs Crankshaw in Newcastle.
Read more:
Dundee Cenotaph to mark centenary
The statue is carved from white Italian Carrara marble, with a base of local sandstone. The cost of 1200 pounds was raised by public subscription, which was a great deal of money at the time.
The cenotaph was refurbished in 2008, made possible by the efforts of many Dundee citizens.
Stuart Clarke, a former Dundee resident who now lives in California, was responsible for raising a large amount of the cash needed to do the job.
In 2016, the cenotaph was ‘upgraded’ mainly through the efforts of Tourism Dundee and Talana Museum.
More names, inadvertently left out, were added to include all those who perished in both World Wars, including a memorial stone to those who perished in the sinking of the SS Menzi (World War One) and all subsequent conflicts.
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