Dover Patrol Memorial

Built to commemorate the Royal Navy's Dover Patrols during WWI, this 23m high granite obelisk was designed by Sir Aston Webb and erected in 1921 and can be found east of Dover at St Margaret's at Cliffe.

Consisting of a fleet of 12 naval destroyers, the Dover Patrol was assisted by a multitude of everyday vessels including armed trawlers, mine sweepers, cruisers, submarines and motor launches. In the air, planes, flying boats and airships also helped out. Even the French got involved.

Duties of these vessels were as varied as they were. Some treated the injured as hospital ships, some were escorts and some carried troops or swept for mines. During the length of WWI, the patrol, sadly, lost over 2,000 brave personnel.

Such was the admiration of these craft and those who sailed them, you can also find identical obelisks in Brooklyn, New York and on the Cap Blanc-Nez, Calais. 

To find the memorial, park at St Margaret's Bay just below St Margaret's at Cliffe, take the steps (just past the toilets) to the cliff top and head east. Or you can drive along Granville Road and park right by the obelisk.