British Army 8TH Division World War I Memorial

Reasons for Designation

The Memorial of the 8th Division, unveiled in 1924, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architectural Interest: an elegant Portland stone cenotaph with bronze lion that has special architectural interest. * Historical Interest: As a national record commemorating the fallen of the 8th Division of the British Army 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

991/0/10062 QUEEN'S AVENUE
19-MAY-10 (East side)
British Army 8th Division World War I
Memorial

II
A commemorative memorial of the 8th Division of the British Army, erected 1924. Built of Portland stone with bronze ornament. Designer unknown.

The memorial is in the form of a tall and slender cenotaph on a paved stone base surmounted by a bronze lion. The inscription on the front reads: 'To the glorious memory of all Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and men of the 8th Division who fell in France and Belgium in The Great War 1914-1918'. The names of the divisional troops and regiments of the 8th Division are inscribed on the sides of the memorial.

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 8th Division of the British Army, brought together from regular army battalions of the British Empire, was formed in October 1914. It was commanded by Major-General F Davies and was sent to France in November 1914 to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force. The 8th Division stayed on the Western Front for the remainder of the war and took part in numerous battles including Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, the Somme and the Third Battle of Ypres. The memorial was unveiled by General Sir Frances Davies KCB, KCMG, KCVO, RDE in 1924.

SOURCES
Douet J, British Barracks 1600-1914: their Architecture and Role in Society (1998), 130-133
English Heritage, Barracks Thematic List Review (1993), 19
The 8th Division of the British Army 1914-1918, from the Long Long Trail website.
http://www.1914-1918.net/8div.htm (accessed 29/10/09)
Roll of Honour website. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Hampshire/Aldershot8thDivision.html (accessed 29/10/09)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The Memorial of the 8th Division, unveiled in 1924, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: an elegant Portland stone cenotaph with bronze lion that has special architectural interest.
* Historical Interest: As a national record commemorating the fallen of the 8th Division of the British Army 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, 6 December 2016.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

507677

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 06/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/50610
War Memorials Online, accessed 06/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/201881

End of official list entry

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