Thame’s Memorial sculpture
One of the advantages of this wretched Coronavirus is that when you have collected your food and drink from the Woodworks take-away hatch, there is a handy place to sit and enjoy it right opposite. The Thame War Memorial is a perfect place to sit and watch the world go by as you drink your coffee and eat your lunch.
It is also the home of the famous sculpture of the boy holding a large fish and if you look closer you see he is standing on the back of a Turtle. We are lucky to have it because back in 1985 it was stolen and according to the Thame Town Council website, never recovered.
But first let’s remember how it got there. In 1926 a member of the Pearce family wanted to leave a lasting memorial to his family in the town before emigrating to Australia. (He was a cousin of the Pearce family of Wool Staplers. Wool stapling (or trading) has been part of Thame’s heritage since medieval times. Until recently these warehouses were full of great stacks of wool which were shipped to London by train. You can learn more in our Thame Museum).
Pearce commissioned the statue from sculptor Faith Winter, a Fellow of The Royal British Society of Sculptors, and you can see the names of his family carved around the bottom of the stone plinth.
After the 1985 theft, Thame Council commissioned a replica and Thame could once again be proud of its famous landmark. But the story doesn’t end there - the sculpture was stolen for a second time!
Mercifully, the second edition of the statue was later spotted in the window of a London antique dealer by a Thame resident who works in the City, and after some delicate negotiations, returned to its rightful place as part of the fountain in the Memorial Garden.
The sculpture was officially unveiled on Saturday 14 May 2005 by the Mayor of Thame, David Dodds. The guest of honour was Mrs Phyllis Quainton, who was only nine years-old in 1926 when the original statue was officially inaugurated.
But what of the poor Turtle beneath the boy’s feet? The sculptor died in 2017 aged 89, so we cannot ask her. A quick search in cyberspace suggests the Turtle is a symbol of longevity, wisdom and good luck and we hope you take a little of each of these away with you once you have finished your coffee and are heading back home.