“We are incredulous and bitterly disappointed.”

A plaque commemorating 2,500 African Caribbean men, women and children brought to Britain as prisoners of war in 1796 has gone missing from Portchester Castle, just days after it was unveiled.

The memorial was discovered missing by castle staff on Wednesday, October 14, five days after its unveiling at a ceremony attended by Caribbean communities and international guests. Staff had secured the site the previous evening, but a padlock on one of the castle gates had been removed.

The plaque's disappearance has sparked anger and disappointment from the organisations involved in its creation, who are calling for it to be returned.

The memorial commemorates around 2,500 people who surrendered to British forces during fighting over St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada in 1796. More than 2,000 were subsequently held at Portchester Castle.

Their stories have been pieced together through surviving prison registers and years of research by the University of Warwick and English Heritage, working with Caribbean communities and heritage organisations.

The plaque was commissioned by UK-based Caribbean arts and heritage organisation St Vincent and the Grenadines 2nd Generation (SV2G), with funding from the University of Warwick. It was intended as a permanent memorial to those who endured captivity and displacement, including people who died during the journey to Britain or while imprisoned at the castle.

Dr Jacqueline Roberts, chief executive of SV2G, said: “The plaque was not merely a marker, it was a sacred symbol of remembrance, honouring our ancestors who endured captivity, displacement, and unimaginable hardship. It represented their courage, their resistance, and their enduring spirit that continues to guide us today.

“Its removal is not just an act against an object, but against memory itself. Our ancestors' story will not be silenced.”

People had travelled from across the UK, the United States and the Caribbean to attend the unveiling and pay tribute to those brought across the Atlantic.

Anthony Severin, St Lucia's High Commissioner and chair of the Caribbean Community Diplomatic Caucus in the UK, said: “We will ensure that the plaque, whether returned or replaced, will remain affixed to the walls of Portchester Castle. A resilient spirit never dies."

Professor Katherine Astbury, from the University of Warwick, added: “This is an important, forgotten part of Caribbean history and so much work has gone into recovering the prisoners' stories.

“The plaque was meant to ensure that they have a visible and permanent place in the history of the castle. We very much hope that whoever has taken it will understand what it represents and return it.”

English Heritage, and the other organisations involved, have reported the incident to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, on the understanding that the plaque may well have been stolen.

Iona Keen, head of learning and interpretation at English Heritage, said: "The story of the African Caribbean prisoners of war is an integral part of Portchester Castle's history. Removing the plaque does not change that but we are incredulous and bitterly disappointed at this act of vandalism."

Anyone with information about the plaque's whereabouts is asked to contact the police on 101, quoting the incident number SD-25140-26-4444-IR.