An appeal to find a stolen war memorial

24 September 2024

In recent days a War Memorial has been stolen from a south London park. 

The memorial, pictured below, disappeared from Crystal Palace Park at the end of August.

Rnvr Memorial C Pal

The memorial commemorates Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) officers from the Great War, including the 125,000 personnel who were trained at the shore station 'HMS Victory VI', which was in the park between 1914 and 1918.

The original memorial was unveiled by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) in 1931 and takes the form of a ship's bell supported by two dolphins with twisted tails.

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The bell was damaged during the second world war but was restored in 1955 'through the generosity of past and present members of the R.N.V.R. and their friends'.

Rnvr Mem Bell

Anyone who has any information regarding the theft is urged to contact police on 101 or report online, quoting CAD 3098/03SEP24.

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