War Memorial to the Third Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment

Summary

A First World War memorial to the Third Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment.

Reasons for Designation

The War Memorial to the Third Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment at Horn Hill, Milstead, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons.

Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the service and sacrifice of soldiers who trained at Milstead Camp and the lasting impact they had on the collective memory of Milstead village.

Design:
* as a simple, but well-executed structure probably using donated materials sourced from nearby Milstead Manor (Grade II*; 1343916).

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. One such memorial was raised at Milstead as a permanent testament to the service of the Third Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, who camped in the field behind the memorial during the First World War. The site became known as Milstead Camp.

The Third Battalion began the First World War stationed in Bristol but then moved to Woolwich. In May 1915 it relocated to Gravesend and then onto the Milstead area where it remained in reserve for the duration of the war. Some soldiers from the Third Battalion who trained at Milstead Camp were drafted to serve on the Western Front.

The soldiers training at the camp played an active role in village life, attending local church services and regularly organising sports days to entertain the people of Milstead. By April 1917 the village school room had been requisitioned by the Third Battalion and used by the Army School Master to instruct around fifty young trainee soldiers every day after school. The village hall served as a cinema for soldiers on a weekly basis.

During this time the Third Battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Herbert Burges. At the end of the war he was granted an extension and promoted to Brevet Colonel for his services. He died aged 54 of natural causes on 6 August 1919. His is the only name mentioned on the memorial.

The memorial was erected by Mrs B Julian, the wife of Milstead’s rector. It was reportedly constructed from bricks taken from the Grade II* listed Milstead Manor (NHLE: 1343916) when the east wing was reconstructed in the early years of the C20 due to the C16 overhang becoming hazardous. The date of the memorial’s construction is not known.

Details

A First World War memorial to the Third Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment.

MATERIALS & PLAN
A red brick structure with a tiled roof and a limestone plaque. The memorial is rectangular on plan and located on a small grassed site at the edge of the road, Horn Hill, facing north.

DESCRIPTION
The memorial consists of a simple pier of red brick predominantly laid in English bond on the base and with stretcher bond above. The base projects slightly beyond the face of the brick pier on all sides and is topped with a course of chamfered bricks. Towards the top of the pier there are two oversailing corbel courses, and a brick dentil course above. The memorial is topped by a simple brick pediment and covered by a pitched tiled roof.

A rectangular limestone plaque set into the front face of the memorial with a chamfered surround bears the inscription: IN THIS FIELD/ THE 3RD BATT./ GLOUCESTERSHIRE/ REGIMENT/ Lt Col G. H. BURGES/ COMMANDING/ WAS ENCAMPED/ DURING THE SUMMERS/ 1916 – 1917/ 1918.

Sources

Books and journals
Jordan, L, Strolling Through Milstead, (2001), 28

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 31 March 2020 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/30110
War Memorials Online, accessed 31 March 2020 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/94191/
Forces War Records, accessed 31 March 2020 from https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/344/gloucestershire-regiment

Other
'Death of Colonel George Burges', Western Daily Press, 8 August 1919.

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