Honoured Dead Memorial, War memorial in Kimberley, South Africa.
The Honoured Dead Memorial is a sandstone monument at the meeting point of five roads, built from stone quarried in the Matopo Hills of Zimbabwe. It serves as the tomb of 27 soldiers, and the Long Cecil gun, made by George Labram in the De Beers workshops during the siege, is mounted on its stylobate facing the Free State. Boer Long Tom shells surround it.
Cecil John Rhodes commissioned Sir Herbert Baker to design the memorial, sending him to Greece to study ancient monuments; the Nereid Monument at Xanthus shaped the design. Built of sandstone quarried in the Matopo Hills, it was dedicated on 28 November 1904 and serves as the tomb of 27 soldiers who fell during the 124-day Siege of Kimberley, from October 1899 to February 1900.
Cecil John Rhodes commissioned Rudyard Kipling to write the memorial's inscription, which honours those who fell in the siege. The monument stands where five roads meet, and the Long Cecil gun is mounted on its stylobate facing the Free State, ringed by shells from the Boer Long Tom.
The memorial stands where five roads converge, so it is best viewed on foot from the surrounding pavements. The Long Cecil gun is mounted on the stylobate facing the Free State, with Boer Long Tom shells arranged around it. Stairs lead up to the base of the structure.
The Long Cecil gun was designed and built by George Labram during the siege using facilities at De Beers workshops. This handmade defensive weapon reveals the resourcefulness of those trapped inside.
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