A PROPOSAL for a new memorial stone in Dock Park commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day will go to councillors next week.
The idea for the Merchant Navy and Seafarers’ Memorial was put forward by the regional Merchant Navy Association (MNA). It would consist of a 250 kilogram sandstone approximately 80 centimetres wide and 60 centimetres high. It would sit on a sandstone platform that takes the form of a ship onto which a plaque will be installed.
A report outlining the proposal will go before the Dumfries Common Good Fund Sub Committee on Wednesday for approval. It states the memorial would be an ‘attractive and poignant’ addition to Dock Park, adding: “Although the Merchant Navy is recognised as the ‘Fourth Service’ in times of conflict and peace, there is no memorial in Dumfries and Galloway to remember and commemorate all those seafarers who sacrificed their lives during both World Wars and other conflicts, with most of them only having the sea as their grave. As they gave their lives to keep our Armed Forces and our country supplied in the pursuit of victory and to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy today, it is appropriate that there is a memorial to these personnel in our region.
“The MNA is keen that the stone is in a prominent location close to where the monument to the two local victims of the Titanic disaster of 1912 stands in the park.
“The MNA considers that it would be an attractive and poignant addition to Dock Park and its significance would enhance the heritage of the park, which was once the main harbour for the town of Dumfries with the sandstone material fitting in well with the townscape.”
If approved, the memorial would be officially unveiled and dedicated on, or around, Merchant Navy Day 2025 on September 3.
