Reasons for Designation
The Memorial of the 2nd Division is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Design Interest: as a simple yet elegant memorial, by a named designer, of good quality workmanship and materials.
* Historical Interest: as a national record commemorating the fallen of the 2nd Division of the British Army in the First World War and as a visually distinctive reference for those who serve or have served in the British Army, embracing the tradition of service and the regimental bond.
Details
991/0/10063 KNOLLYS' ROAD
19-MAY-10 British Army 2nd Division World War I
Memorial
II
Also Known As:
British Army 2nd Division World War I Memorial, HOSPITAL HILL
A stone cross memorial of the 2nd Division of the British Army, erected 1923.
The memorial stone cross is topped by a gable motif, with fluted shaft on a hexagonal socket and the divisional sign of crossed keys on the octagonal base. An inscription on a side panel of the socket reads: 'In memory of the Officers WOs, NCOs and men of the 2nd Division who fell in the war 1914-1918'. Details of the divisional troops, infantry brigades and regiments are inscribed on other sides of the socket. On the base is the inscription: 'Grant them O Lord eternal rest'.
HISTORY: In 1852, 8000 acres of low cost heath at Aldershot were purchased as the site of the first permanent training ground for the Army, large enough to run regular summer exercises for 10 to 12 battalions at one time. Here the new railways could provide easy access to London, Dover and the main naval arsenals at Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth. In February 1854 work had started on the construction of the barracks, and by 1856 North and South Camps, (later to become Stanhope and Marlborough Lines), consisting of regular grids of wooden huts, had been erected. Permanent barracks, named the Wellington Lines, were built between September 1854 and 1859. The lack of a wall around the barracks, formerly considered necessary for separateness and security, was an innovation and emphasised the difference between Aldershot and previous barracks, with their civil policing role. Aldershot was the first of the large-scale camps, followed by Colchester and Shorncliffe, and it included some of the earliest examples of a garrison church, library and gymnasium. Today there are only isolated buildings, and the overall plan of the camp has been lost to post-war redevelopment.
The 2nd Division was formed by Sir Arthur Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington) in 1809 for service in the Peninsular War. It was one of the first British formations to move to France in 1914, commanded by Major-General CC Monroe, as part of the British Expeditionary Force Infantry Corps, and remained on the Western Front for most of the war. The Division took part in many battles, amongst which were the Battle of Mons, the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of Loos and several phases of the Battle of the Somme. After the war it was part of the occupation force.
The memorial was erected in 1923, designed by a certain Captain Scott (no other details known).
SOURCES:
Douet J, British Barracks, 1600-1914: their Architecture and Role in Society (1998), 130-133
English Heritage, Barracks Thematic List Review (1993), 19
2nd Division of the British Army, 1914-1918, from the Long Long Trail website. http://www.1914-1918.net/2div.htm (accessed 30/10/09)
Hampshire Treasures, from the Hampshire County Council website. http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol03/page198.html (accessed, 30/10/09)
British Divisions WWI, from the Old Front Line Battlefield of WW1 website. http://battlefields1418.50megs.com/divisions1.htm (accessed, 30/10/09)
The 2nd Division, from the Kohima Museum website. http://www.kohimamuseum.com/division.html (accessed 30/10/09)
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The First World War memorial of the 2nd Division is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Design Interest: as a simple yet elegant memorial, by a named designer, of good quality workmanship and materials.
* Historical Interest: as a national record commemorating the fallen of the 2nd Division of the British Army in the First World War and as a visually distinctive reference for those who serve or have served in the British Army, embracing the tradition of service and the regimental bond.
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 August 2017.
