Features / things you probably didn't know
The UK’s oldest war memorial could be in Bristol
War memorials are today in place in even the smallest of villages across the country, remembering the ultimate sacrifice of men and women in conflicts across the world.
But did you know that a limestone sarcophagus in Bristol is reputed to be the UK’s oldest war memorial?
It commemorates the ‘departed warriors’ of the 79th Regiment who died during the Seven Years’ War from 1756 to 1763.
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The poet Christopher Anstey wrote the Latin inscriptions on the monument – photo: Martin Booth
The reason that the monument is here in Bristol is that the commander of this regiment was William Draper, who was born in the city and educated at Bristol Grammar School.
His soldiers captured the Spanish colony of Manila in the Philippines in 1762, and the following year Draper built a new mansion called Manilla Hall, beside what is now Manilla Road in Clifton.
Two monuments – the other honours William Pitt the Elder, who was prime minister at the time – were originally erected in the mansion’s garden but moved to their current location on the edge of the Downs in 1883.
Prime minister William Pitt the Elder supported William Draper’s military career – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
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