British Army 8Th Division World War I Memorial

British Army 8th Division World War I Memorial

A commemorative memorial erected in 1924 to honour the 8th Division of the British Army. Built of Portland stone with bronze ornament, the designer is unknown.

The memorial takes the form of a tall and slender cenotaph standing on a paved stone base, surmounted by a bronze lion. The front bears an inscription reading: "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 sides are inscribed with the names of the divisional troops and regiments of the 8th Division.

The 8th Division of the British Army was formed in October 1914 from regular army battalions of the British Empire. It was commanded by Major-General F Davies and sent to France in November 1914 to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force. The division remained on the Western Front throughout the war, participating in major battles including Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, the Somme, and the Third Battle of Ypres. The memorial was unveiled by General Sir Francis Davies KCB, KCMG, KCVO, RDE in 1924.

The memorial stands at Aldershot, site of the first permanent training ground for the British Army, established in 1852 on 8000 acres of low cost heath. The location was chosen for its proximity to London and the major naval arsenals at Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth, with easy access provided by the new railways. Construction of the barracks began in February 1854, with North and South Camps (later Stanhope and Marlborough Lines) completed by 1856, followed by the permanent Wellington Lines built between September 1854 and 1859. Aldershot was notable as the first large-scale camp of its kind, followed by Colchester and Shorncliffe, and included some of the earliest examples of a garrison church, library and gymnasium. Today the overall plan of the camp has been lost to post-war redevelopment, with only isolated buildings remaining.