Grave No.8 - Perhaps one of most notable memorials in the

Cemetery is The Margate Surfboat Memorial.  

The memorial commemorates the nine men who lost their lives on the night

of December 2nd,1897. The memorial of Carrara marble has recently been listed as Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport along with the bronze memorial statue on the seafront at Margate . The volunteer surfboat was launched to help the sailing vessel ’Persian Empire ’ that was in distress in a violent storm off the Margate coast. The surfboat named ‘Friend to all Nations’ capsized off the Nayland rock and 9 of the 13 crew were drowned. These included Charles Edward Troughton aged 40 – a Margate Ambulance Corps member and chief cashier at Lloyds Bank Henry Brockman aged 50 John Dyke aged 41George Ladd aged 38 Edward Robert Crunden aged 31Robert F Cook aged 24 - William Philpott Cook aged 54 - William Robert Gill aged 35 William Philpott Cook junior Aged 28 (sad to note that the tragedy took both father and son) The survivors were John James Gilbert who died in 1931Joseph William Epps died 1931 Robert E William Ladd died 1951 John Brockman died in 1958 The cemetery surfboat memorial was sculpted by J. Whitehead & Son of Westminster and was unveiled in April 1900The statue on the seafront of a mariner looking out to sea by the Nayland Rock was unveiled by Mrs J. T. Friend of Northdown, wife of the High Sheriff of Kent on the 4th October 1899. The cost was £354. 3s 3d. The bronze sculpture was cast by Messrs Elkington & Co. of London .

Look to the right of the Surf Boat Memorial for the grave of John Richard Rolfe.

A white marble monument manufactured by J. Whitehead and Sons Ltd of Westminster. It is in the form of a large rock surmounted by an anchor, a rope and a lifebelt inscribed “Margate Surf Boat. To the right of the rock is a representation of “Hope” in the form of a life size weeping female figure in the C19 dress kneeling and holding a laurel wreath. The memorial is bounded by a square white marble kerb with eight tablets bearing the names of the eight crew members who perished and a quotation, surrounded by a carved laurel wreath in relief. The ninth man, Charles Troughton was not a member of the surf boat crew but superintendent to the Margate Ambulance Corps. His name is inscribed to the front of the kerb. The inscription to the memorial reads “In memory of Nine Heroic Men Who Lost Their Lives By the capsizing of The Margate Surf Boat “Friends to All Nations” In attempting To assist A Vessel in Distress at Sea 2nd December 1897.