Fading tribute to WWII servicemen in Weymouth to undergo restoration
Three plaques on Weymouth’s American War Memorial are set to be replaced, with plans lodged to carefully restore the seafront tribute
Three badly worn American War Memorial stone plaques are to be replaced on the Weymouth Esplanade structure.
The grade 2 listed building application for changes to the memorial, opposite the Royal Hotel, has been lodged with Dorset Council by Weymouth Town Council.
Some of the plaques on the seaward side have become un-readable due to weathering from the wind and salt spray.
Planning history shows the last application for changes to the memorial was in 2011 when an application was made for essential structural repairs to return the memorial to a good condition.
Since then, the Portland Stone plaques have continued to erode with some of the lettering no longer visible.
The work will involve replacement plaques to update the three existing worn surfaces.
The memorial, which was unveiled in 1947, commemorates the American servicemen who passed through Weymouth to the beaches of Normandy in the Second World War.
Melcombe Regis ward councillor Jon Orrell has welcomed the proposal saying: “A necessary and careful restoration of this significant monument. It marks an important time in our town’s rich history.”
The work is likely to involve new panels being installed on top of the existing ones – after a warning that trying to remove the originals could make the monument unstable.
Dorchester-based Grassby Memorials told the town council that removing the existing plaques could result in unforeseen consequences.
A spokesperson for Grassby said: “The removal of the original panels may compromise the current stability of the structure and thus we recommend the panels we create be fixed onto them.”
New, applied on top, stone panels are proposed for the remaining plaques ‘We Remember Your Sacrifice’ and ‘Unveiled’ panels which will match the existing inscriptions.