Men of Devonshire Boer War Window

Western Times - Thursday 06 March 1919 Page 2
DEVONS IN THE BOER WAR
South African Tablets in Exeter Cathedral
The announcement that the Dean and Chapter of Exeter are considering the advisability of moving the South African War mural tablets from the south side of the Nave to another part of the Cathedral has caused surprise and concern among the friends ot the men whose names are recorded on them. It is certainly true, as the Dean and Chapter point out, that the names which are cut in gold lettering on a yellowish Salician marble can be read only by people blessed with exceptionallv good sight. Even the keenest of eyes, however, find a difficulty if only few yards off in deciphering the names. Equally is it true that the tablets are incongruous with the surroundings. At the time — the spring of 1903 — when the memorial was unveiled by the late Earl Morley, the fact that the tablets were an eyesore was generally admitted.
Conceding all this, however, is it necessary to transfer to some other part of the Cathedral the names of ihe five hundred sailors and soldiers Devon who made the great sacrifice in the South African War from what is obviously their appropriate place, namely, immediately underneath the stained glass window which was placed there in their honour? The Dean and Chapter report that they are considering the advisability of moving them to another part the Cathedral where they would be more suitably placed and more easily read," and that "in the event of the names being removed from their present position it is proposed to place a fresh inscription on the south wall recording the fact that the window above was placed there in honour of the men who fell the South African War."
Interviewed yesterday, a well-known citizen who played a prominent, -role in the equipment of the Devon men who served in the Boer War, and in raising the memorial to the men of the county who fell in that campaign, said there could be no doubt that an improvement in the tablets was highly desirable, and he had quite recently urged that something should be done to bring them into harmony with their surroundings, but hoped that the names the men who fell that war would remain closely identified with the memorial window and the inscription. added that he had no doubt the Cathedral authorities' would confer with the representatives of the committee who organised the memorial, well consult the wishes of the families men whose names are recorded, before taking any definite steps to give practical effect to the proposal.
It surely ought not be beyond the bounds of possibility come to arrangement which will meet the wishes all parties.