Plaque

Swire war memorial - 2

Inscription

AD MCMXIV-MCMXVIII {1914 – 1918}
In honoured memory of those Chinese members of Taikoo who died during the wars.
MCMXXXIX – MCMXIV {1939 – 1945}

{Below this is a panel in Chinese characters that we guess repeats the message.}

The names, given on the other plaque, are not Chinese (being Smith, etc.) so by "Chinese members" they must mean something like "working in China and enlisted there".

Site: London Scottish Regiment + Swire war memorial (3 memorials)

SW1, Buckingham Gate, 59, Swire House

Disappointingly we have failed to find a photo of the building that used to be on this site.

Swire is an international shipping company and 'Taikoo' is its Chinese name. We'd never heard of the company and then, just a few days after working on this entry, a character in a film we were watching explained his past presence in China by "I was working for Swire", and we knew what he meant.

2017: someone who tried to view these memorials has told us that he was told they are not here and never were. We took our photos in 2015 so they were in situ then.

2019: Andrew Behan has researched some of the names on this memorial. While doing so he spotted a discrepancy concerning the S.S. Shuntien: 'The Roll of Honour of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets 1939-1947' held at The National Archives, Kew lists a total of 71 officers and men who died when that ship sank. But the data we received from the CWGC gives, on panel 97, a total of only 48 officers and men lost from that ship.

The sad story of the SS Shuntien is told on Brynberg's page. When the ship went down it was carrying a large number of prisoners of war. This is reminiscent of the sinking of the Arandora Star which was deporting a many Italians and Germans who had been living in England.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Swire war memorial - 2

Subjects commemorated i

World War 1

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came a...

Read More

World War 2

Sorry, we've done no research on WW2, it's just too big a subject. But do vis...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Swire war memorial - 2

Also at this site i

London Scottish Regiment

London Scottish Regiment

{Regimental badge:} London Scottish, strike sure. {Beneath the badge:} On ...

Read More

Swire war memorial - 1

Swire war memorial - 1

The names are grouped by brief company identifier, which we’ve recognised as ...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

West Hackney National Schools

West Hackney National Schools

N16, Evering Road, 9a

We weren't expecting the investigation into this plaque to turn up anything particularly interesting but go to the page for vicar Birch a...

2 subjects commemorated
Hopkin Morris cottages

Hopkin Morris cottages

W4, Strand on the Green, 15

A small plaque to the right of the lower plaque reads 'Renovated 1974 London Borough of Hounslow'. From the excellent 'Panorama of the T...

8 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Potters Bar Rail Crash - Garden of Remembrance

Potters Bar Rail Crash - Garden of Remembrance

EN6, Darkes Lane

In memory of the seven people who lost their lives and those who were injured in the Potters Bar tragedy on May 10th 2002.

1 subject commemorated
Kiln + Hippodrome

Kiln + Hippodrome

W11, Walmer Road

London is built of clay bricks, made from the clay soil on which London is built. Highbury Wildlife Garden has a map showing the extent o...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
The Theatre

The Theatre

EC2, Curtain Road, 86-90

February 2013: planning permission was granted to build a theatre on this site. 2023: Now the plans are for housing and a Shakespeare Mus...

2 subjects commemorated