F. C. SmalpagePrint Page

The fountain was erected to commemorate F. C. Smalpage who drowned while attempting to save the life of another person. The fountain is also the Manly Boer War Memorial and contains a dedication to Mr Smalpage as well as Troopers Bud & Lipscomb who were killed during the Boer War. The year of the unveiling is incorrectly stated as 1903 . A plaque has been placed on the memorial rectifying this error.

Mr Smalpage was a visitor to Manly in 1902 and plunged into the sea to rescue a young woman being carried away by the undertow. He managed to reach the young woman but the current was too strong and both were carried out to sea and drowned in the presence of hundreds of spectators.

Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Learmonth, Mayoresss of Manly, unveiled a fountain erected to the memory of three Manly residents who lost their lives in good causes. One was the late F. C. Smalpage, who in 1902 was drowned while attempting to rescue  a woman who got into difficulties in the breakers, but who met a like fate. In part also the fountain is intended to perpetuate the memory of Troopers Budd and Lipscomb. who gave up their lives for their country during the Boer war. The subscription to provide a memorial for Mr. Smalpage was opened by the 'Sunday Times,' and subsequently the Manly Council decided to amalgamate this fund with the money to be devoted for the soldiers' memorial, and the fountain unveiled was the result.
Sunday Times, Sydney (NSW), 19th January 1908.  

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