War Memorial of the 24th East Surrey Division, Battersea Park, London, UK
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OrientGeo
N 51° 28.829 W 000° 09.227
30U E 697629 N 5707100
A World War I Memorial to the over 10,000 men of the 24th Infantry Division of the British Army lost during the Great War. It is located within Battersea Park.
Waymark Code: WM13GJV
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/10/2020
Views: 3
This memorial was designed and sculpted by Eric Henri Kennington in Portland stone. Kennington had served in the war himself and did not take a payment for this commission. It consists of the figures of three infantry soldiers, holding hands, with full equipment including rifles and helmets, six foot six high and standing upon a column. Below the soldiers is a serpent which appears to bind the soldiers together. One of the soldiers was modelled on the poet and writer Robert Graves.
The base of the memorial has the inscription: “XXIV Division France 1914-1918” and there are 20 badges of the units that made up the Division, engraved by Lucy Sampson. The Division served on the Western Front, including at Vimy Ridge, Loos, Messines and Delville Wood.
More than 10,000 men of this Division, which has local connections to Battersea, were lost during the conflict. This memorial to them was unveiled on 4 October 1924 in an opening ceremony performed by Field Marshall Plumer and the Bishop of Southwark.
The Memorial is a Grade II listed building and is in good condition, in well-maintained surroundings within a circular hedge. It is a sculpture of high quality, notable for its depiction of ‘ordinary soldiers’. It is located within Battersea Park, close to the north east corner of the Boating Lake.
Date the Monument or Memorial was built or dedicated: 10/04/1924
Private or Public Monument?: Government
Name of the Private Organization or Government Entity that built this Monument: Not known.
Geographic Region where the Monument is located: Europe
Website for this Monument: [Web Link]
Physical Address of Monument:
Battersea Park
Eastern End
Battersea, London United Kingdom
SW11
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