War Memorial

The war memorial, dating to circa 1920 and of unknown design, commemorates the 12th County of London Regiment, also known as 'the Rangers'. Constructed from Portland stone with a sandstone base, the memorial takes the form of a pylon featuring the regimental cap badge in bronze on the front. The base is square, with a cyma moulding and stepped top detail, including inset corners. An inscription on the front reads "THE RANGERS. 12th County of London Regt. 1914-1919. Remember with gratitude the true and faithful men who in the Great War went forth for God and the right. The memory of those who returned not again is hereby perpetuated to be honoured for evermore." A rear inscription honours "1193 Rangers who died for the Empire." Lists of First World War battles, including Ypres, St Julien, Frezenburg Ridge, the Somme, Arras, and Cambrai, are inscribed on the west and east sides. Some inscriptions were weathered at the time of inspection. Later inscriptions, added after the Second World War, record the regiment’s involvement in conflicts including Greece, Crete, North Africa, and the Middle East. The memorial stands within a setting that has been altered by the construction of a Second World War deep shelter behind it. Its location is influenced by the former Bloomsbury Rifles drill hall of 1882-83 in Chenies Street and overlooks Alfred Place, a design from 1802-10 by George Dance, highlighting the area’s axial monumentality and serving as a reminder of the regiment’s war records and losses.