Guards Memorial
51°30′16″N 0°07′46″W / 51.5044°N 0.1295°W | |
Location | London |
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Designer | H. Chalton Bradshaw |
Type | War memorial |
Material | Portland stone |
Height | 38 feet |
Opening date | 16 October 1926 |
Dedicated to | War dead from the Guards Division |
The Guards Memorial, also known as the Guards Division War Memorial,
Design
The
Above the five statues, the cenotaph also bears an inscription written by Rudyard Kipling, whose only son John was killed in action while serving the Irish Guards at the Battle of Loos in September 1915: "To the Glory of God // And in the memory of the // Officers Warrant Officers // Non Commissioned Officers & // Guardsmen of His Majesty's // Regiments of Foot Guards // who gave their lives for their // King and Country during the // Great War 1914–1918 and of the // Officers Warrant Officers // Non-Commissioned Officers and // Men of the Household Cavalry // Royal Regiment of Artillery // Corps of Royal Engineers // Royal Army Service Corps Royal // Medical Corps and other // Units who while serving the // Guards Division in France & // Belgium 1915–1918 fell with them in // the fight for the World's Freedom."
Above the main inscription is an incised cross between bands of horizontal incised lines, and lower down is a second inscription: "This monument // was erected by their friends and comrades". Further inscriptions on the sides of the cenotaph record the units involved, and the west side, below another cross, records their
Construction
The monument was built by the
Later history
After World War II, an inscription was added below the statues to commemorate those who died between 1939 and 1945:[4] "This memorial also commemorates all those members // of the Household Division who died in the Second World War // and in the Service of their Country since 1918."
The memorial received Grade II listing in 1970,[5] and was promoted to Grade I in October 2014.[6]
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The memorial in 2009, looking northeast towards Horse Guards Parade and the Admiralty
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Wreaths laid before the five bronze statues in 2009
See also
- 1926 in art
- Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster
- Grade I listed war memorials in England
- World War I memorials
References
- ^ Ward-Jackson (2011), Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster (p. 74)
- ^ Guards Memorial, roll-of-honour.com
- ^ War Memorials Archive, Imperial War Museum
- ^ "Monuments in St James's Park". The Royal Park. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ National Heritage List for England, Historic England
- ^ First World War Memorials Honoured, Historic England, 10 November 2014