An Islander's Perspective of Penang
The Cenotaph located at the Esplanade is a historical and heritage war memorial erected by the British empire. The cenotaph was unveiled by the Prince of Wales on 31 March 1922, at the Esplanade seafront to remember the losses during World War I battles.
The Penang Veterans Association also built another small monument besides the cenotaph to remember those killed in World War II, Siam-Burma Death Railway, Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation and the Reinsurgency period.
The Brown Memorial is an old monument erected at Padang Brown to commemorate David Brown, a Scotsman who came from Longformacus, a small village in Berwickshire, Scotland. David Brown, who was born in 1778 and later passed away on a ship while en route to Malacca, was once the largest land owner in Penang during his time. He took over the estate of his business partner, James Scott (who took over Francis Light’s estate), following the death of Scott in 1808. A known philanthropist who helped developed Penang, David Brown also married a local wife named Nonia Ennui.
The Queen Victoria Memorial is a monument erected to mark the anniversary of the said British empire’s queen who passed away in January 1901. Also serving as a way to honor the queen, the monument was built and sponsored by the local Chinese business community back then.
The monument is located in an area belonging to the Penang Chinese Recreation Club at Macalister Road, but can be easily spotted from the intersection of Pangkor Road (Jalan Pangkor) and Burmah Road.
The Ayer Itam War Memorial Park is a small park that was renovated a few years ago to feature the Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial, the World Peace Memorial sculpture, the Penang Chinese Relief Memorial and a large intricately detailed mural depicting relief aids and operations being carried out in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (that was later culminated into World War II).
The white obelisk of the Overseas Chinese Anti-War Memorial, the park’s original and first memorial, was also built to commemorate the sacrifice and effort of the Chinese people in Penang during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The Ayer Itam War Memorial Park is located just beside the Ayer Itam Roundabout in Ayer Itam, Penang.
The Queen Victoria Memorial Clocktower located nearby the Betel Nut roundabout in George Town (King Edward’s Place) is one of the famous landmarks in the island. The 60-feet high tower was built by Penang millionaire Cheah Chen Eok to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 1897 Jubilee at that time.
The Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Centre is located at Macalister Road, George Town and is housed within the Penang Philomatic Union building (also the building’s former name). It was said that the Penang Philomatic Union was founded by a political party supporting Dr Sun Yat-sen (the founder of Republic of China) in 1908, and had provided some of the staunchest supporters of his cause for a Free World. Dr Sun Yat-sen also reportedly conducted his first speech in Penang at this building.
