Dedicated to the memory of Howard Davis who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 during the First World War.

Howard Davis Memorial Hall is situated within Howard Davis Park. The Park was formerly a private estate known as Plaisance, the original house standing just inside the main gates.

This small hall, formerly the billiard room, is the only part of the building that remains. Legend has it that T B Davis was punished in his youth for stealing apples in the grounds of Plaisance and vowed one day to tear down the house. When he purchased the property in 1938, the house was found to be in poor condition and it was demolished. Landscape gardener James Colledge, designer of the gardens at Samarès Manor, began to lay out the new park. The general shape and outline have changed little since the original design and there is a fountain in the Rose Garden dedicated to Colledge.

As you stroll through the Park, you’ll encounter a variety of beautiful and peaceful features. These include the charming Rose Garden, complete with a wisteria-covered pergola that bursts into bloom each spring, various water features, and the war graves cemetery – a quiet, contemplative space for reflection. The Park is also home to a children’s playground and a bandstand that comes alive during summer with music and dance performances.

Thomas Benjamin Frederick Davis was born at Havre des Pas in 1867 and ran away to sea at the age of 14. He obtained his Extra Master’s ticket at the young age of 25 and served in the Royal Naval Reserve before moving to South Africa. He finally settled in Durban where he took over a stevedoring firm. The business rapidly expanded under his leadership and he became a very wealthy man. Davis married Minnie Goddard née Bagge in London in 1892 and the couple had seven children together. In 1901, when the family emigrated to South Africa, Howard was aged six. He was educated there before being sent to England to train as a naval cadet at the age of 15. He was working as a deck officer when war broke out and he joined up in October 1914.

T B Davis was one of Jersey’s most generous benefactors, giving many gifts to the Island in memory of his son Howard, including Howard Davis Farm in Trinity, Howard Davis Park in St Helier, and the Howard Hall and a scholarship trust at Victoria College. In 1936 Davis purchased an RNLI lifeboat for Jersey. It was the Island’s first motorised lifeboat and was named the Howard D. He also gave many generous gifts in his adopted home of South Africa.

T B Davis attended the opening of the Park in September 1939 but Minnie was in poor health and not well enough to accompany him. It was to be his last visit to the island of his birth. Minnie died in 1941 and T B Davis died the following year.