De Saumarez Memorial

In March 1873 it was decided to erect a suitable Memorial of national importance to honour Admiral de Saumarez, a committee was formed and they accepted the design from Mr AC Andros (a Guernseyman). Tenders were invited and the tender of Mr J Le Page of Les Ozouets was accepted, the Memorial to be built of Guernsey granite to a height of 99 feet.

The foundation stone was laid on 1st August 1876, the construction continued through 1877 and the bronze plaques (currently at Castle Cornet) were placed in position in 1878.

The memorial was funded by public subscription and from the Billet 30th May 1879 the Bailiff Stafford Carey resolved "the statue now completed, entrusted to the care of his native isle".

On 7th December 1943 the German occupation forces destroyed the obelisk, leaving only its base, to allow their artillery clear sight lines to sea. Some of the blocks of granite were used by the States for enlarging the Rosiere landing in Herm.

For many years the Deputies, Constables and Douzaine of the Parish have been pressing to have the Memorial rebuilt, including a failed Requete for the restoration of the monument in December 1989.

James de Saumarez

James de Saumarez joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 having been educated at Elizabeth College. He saw action in the American War of Independence and quickly distinguished himself in a series of sea battles. By the age of 25 he had already been appointed Commander on two ships.

At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793 he was put in command of the Channel Islands Squadron. He dropped the 'de' of 'de Saumarez' so that he would not be mistaken for a Frenchman. His capture of the French flagship 'La Reunion' earned him a knighthood.

On June 8th 1794, whilst sailing in a fleet with two other ships, Saumarez's ship 'The Crescent' encountered a superior force of French ships off the Jersey coast. He ordered his other two ships to make for Guernsey with all speed whilst the Crescent distracted the French fleet. Through the local knowledge of his pilot, a Guernseyman called Jean Le Breton, Saumarez was able to lose the pursuing French amongst the narrow channels and reefs of Guernsey's coastline. When asked if he was able to navigate the ship through the treacherous rocks Le Breton replied to Saumarez: "Quite sure, for yonder is my house and there is yours." At that time Saumarez Park was visible from the sea.

Saumarez fought at the Battles of L'Orient and Cape St Vincent in 1797 and the Battle of the Nile in 1798, in which he was second in command to Nelson. In 1801 he defeated a superior force of Spanish and French ships near Cadiz and was created a Baronet.

However it was for his diplomatic work in the Baltic that Saumarez became a revered figure in Sweden as well as Guernsey. During the early nineteenth century Sweden was the only country other than Britain which had not been conquered by Napoleon, and it was their trading alliance which prevented England from being forced into submission.

In 1808 Saumarez was second in command of the Channel Fleet aboard his flagship HMS Victory, which had been repaired after the Battle of Trafalgar. He was sent to the Baltic to protect the Swedish dominions, where his fleet blockaded Copenhagen and gained control of the Danish warships. At this Russia declared war on Sweden and Denmark declared war on Sweden and Britain. Now, Saumarez's task was to protect British and Swedish interests whilst blockading the hostile coast of Denmark, Prussia and Russia.

In 1810 when Napoleon compelled Sweden to declare war on Britain, Saumarez refused to accept the declaration. Even when Sweden confiscated a quantity of British merchandise and defended its harbour, Saumarez refused to take this as an act of war and managed to secure compensation from Sweden for the goods. Then in 1812 the war came to a head when Napoleon's French fleet threatened to invade Sweden by mounting an attack from the Danish Islands. Saumarez's fleet prevented the invasion and defused the hostile state of affairs. A few months later a formal peace was signed between England, Russia and Sweden. This 'Peace of Orebro' marked the real triumph of the British naval policy of 1808-1813 in the Baltic. Sweden presented 'The Grand Cross of the Military Order of the Sword' and a diamond encrusted sword to Saumarez.

Saumarez retired in 1827 with the rank of Vice-Admiral of Great Britain and in 1831 he was raised to the Peerage. After his death in 1836 it was generally agreed by the people of Guernsey that a memorial should be commemorated to him, but it was not until August 1st 1876 that the foundation stone of a 99ft obelisk was laid by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir George Foley. It was placed on Delancey Hill as this was the Admiral's favourite lookout point; as this was Crown property an acre was granted to the States on which to build the monument. It replaced the ruins of an ancient windmill, Le Moulin des Monts, which had served as a seamark but had been destroyed in 1660 by lightning.

The monument was unveiled on the anniversary of the Battle of the Nile. The obelisk and base were built by public subscription, and were built to the points of the compass, although magnetic north has since moved a few degrees. Attached to the cubical base were four bronze plaques: one bore a depiction of the head of Admiral de Saumarez, another a picture of the Crescent being pursued off the coast of Guernsey by the French in 1794, while the other two plaques contained a list of his victories and a dedication.

In 1910 the Swedish Government sent two warships to Guernsey to place silk bannerets on the Delancey Monument to Saumarez. One read "Nothing could shake his confidence in the Swedes", and the other read "Noble in rank as he was in mind." These are now in the Hostel of St John. They also made a similar visit in 1936 on the anniversary of Saumarez's death. In 1974 a plaque commemorating the Admiral was unveiled in Gothenberg City Hall, Sweden.

On December 7th 1943 the occupying German forces destroyed the monument because it obscured the sight of one of their gun batteries. By this time the monument had become an invaluable navigational aid for ships in the Little and Great Russell. The Germans installed heavy guns at Les Monts, and dug an extensive network of tunnels beneath the park. In 1953 the plaques were rescued and placed in Castle Cornet where they can be seen today. The granite lay around the site of the monument for many years until eventually it was used in the construction of the Rosaire steps in Herm.