The centrepiece of this memorial is the salvaged anchor of TSS Mona's Queen III but the memorial actually comprises three memorials to ships and their crews - TSS Mona's Queen III, TSS King Orry and TSS Fenella.
The main memorial plaque is inscribed as follows:
TSS MONA'S QUEEN III
ANCHOR MEMORIAL
THIS MEMORIAL COMMEMORATES THOSE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE MERCHANT NAVY WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES
FOR OUR FUTURE DURING OPERATION DYNAMO
TSS MONA'S QUEEN III WAS ONE OF THREE ISLE OF MAN STEAM
PACKET COMPANY VESSELS LOST DURING THE EVACUATION OF DUNKIRK
HER ANCHOR WAS RECOVERED FROM THE SEABED
OFF DUNKIRK ON 29TH MAY 2010 TO COMMEMORATE
THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER SINKING
DEDICATED ON 29TH MAY 2012.
The War Memorials Online website shows the following information for this memorial:
Type:Freestanding
Location:External
Setting:Roadside
Description:Trophy/Relic
Materials:
Metal Metal (any)
Stone Stone (any)
Lettering:Inscribed on a plaque
Conflicts:
Second World War (1939-1945)
About the memorial:This memorial site comprises three memorials to ships and their crews, with the salvaged anchor of TSS Mona's Queen as the central focus, along with an additional relic (direction arrow) with an accompanying plaque. The TSS Mon's Queen anchor set on top of a circular stone base embedded with pebbles and depicting a compass rose, surrounded by a stone-tiled circular pavement. This is backed by a curved stone wall with four stone benches set before it. The wall has three inscribed tablets set into it, a central, arch-shaped one commemorating the TSS Mona's Queen, and one at each end commemorating TSS King Orry and TSS Fenella. These three ships were all Isle of Man Steam Packet Company ships sunk during Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk. The tablets for TSS King Orry and TSS Fenella include the names of crew who went down with the ships, whist the names of the TSS Mona's Queen crew are inscribed on 24 individual stone (granite?) plaques flanking the central arched tablet. The anchor was retrieved from the wreck of the TSS Mona's Queen to mark the 70th anniversary of its sinking during the Dunkirk evacuation. After extensive treatment to preserve and weather-proof it, it was brought to Kallow Point to serve as a memorial and was dedicated on 29 May 2012. Whilst the memorial was being constructed, a large concrete direction arrow was discovered set into the ground. The was originally a WW2 bombing practice marker arrow, set into the ground at this point as a lead-in marker to help pilots find a bombing target just offshore. It is 65 ft long and about 6 ft wide, although only the tip of the arrow has been uncovered alongside the pathway leading to the main memorial. The pathway to the memorial is flanked by information boards about the memorial, the anchor and the marker arrow. The board for the latter states that around twenty Barracuda training aircraft from HMS Urley (now Ronaldsway Airport) and some of the crews were lost whilst training in the area. Thus, the relic direction arrow and the accompanying plaque are also effectively war memorials to those men. The memorial was designed by the local War Memorial Committee with final design by Patrick Collett. The architect was MacOwen-Collett of Douglas, Isle of Man and the memorial was built by R.G.W. Builders of Lezayre, Isle of Man. Access to the memorial is off Clifton Road with a parking area and tarmac footpath leading to the memorial. All are in excellent order and well maintained. Isle of Man National Inventory of War Memorials: IOM_NIWM_RUS_00009
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