The Arc of the 30th Meridian

Someone once sent me an email asking if I've ever been to the trig beacon on Lovemore Heights along with all the information about the beacon. I'd never even heard of it and decided to drive up there, coming up against a closed gate and filing it away for future exploration. After I took up Geocaching … Continue reading The Arc of the 30th Meridian →

War Memorial plaque

There are a couple of war memorials around St Georges Park commemorating those from Port Elizabeth who have died in various wars over the years. A number of them refer to the two World Wars with the most prominent one being the Cenotaph in front of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum. One of the … Continue reading War Memorial plaque →

Mother and children

Yesterday's post I did about the Port Elizabeth Cenotaph wasn't the first featuring this great memorial. A little while ago I received a comment on a previous post featuring the Cenotaph from Andy Gardner in Durban. Andy's father was James Gardner who designed the memorial and also did the sculptures which are part of it. … Continue reading Mother and children →

Cenotaph and art gallery

One of the prominent memorials in Port Elizabeth is the Cenotaph standing in front of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Gallery. The city's war memorial was unveiled by former mayoress Mrs WF Savage on 10 November 1929. The memorial was the work of James Gardner of the Art School and was originally erected to the memory … Continue reading Cenotaph and art gallery →

PAG Memorial for Remembrance Day

Today, 11/11/2011, is Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day and Veterans Day. It is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of … Continue reading PAG Memorial for Remembrance Day →

Both history and Art in the Park

While walking around Art in the Park a couple of weeks ago I spotted an angle of the Prince Alfred Guard Memorial in St Georges Park that I have never photographed. One tends to always to to the memorials themselves for a photo, but seldom take one from afar with something else in the foreground. … Continue reading Both history and Art in the Park →

Mendi Memorial

One of the lesser known, but by far not lesser in importance, monuments in Port Elizabeth is the Mendi Memorial in New Brighton. The SS Mendi was transporting 823 members of the 5th Battalion, South African Native Labour Corps to France during the First World War and was struck by the SS Darro in think … Continue reading Mendi Memorial →

James Maxwell Memorial

Here is a post for my friend Doné who is always amazed when he reads something new about Port Elizabeth on this blog. It just shows that there is always something new to learn on here. There used to be a building on the corner next to the Public Library in the city centre in … Continue reading James Maxwell Memorial →

1902 Great Gale Memorial

I took some time at the 1902 Great Gale Memorial in the South End Cemetery last week and tried to imagine myself what that day must have been like. On Sunday, 31 August 1902 there were 38 ships at anchor along the then North End Beach. Rain and a south-easterly wind started to lash the bay … Continue reading 1902 Great Gale Memorial →

Lister Memorial

The area along Port Elizabeth's southern coastline which is reached via Marine Drive is where the Driftsands area can be found. In the late 1800's the movement of sand dunes towards the town was very worrying to the town council and plans were devised to stop the sand from "invading" and overrunning Port Elizabeth. One of … Continue reading Lister Memorial →