Description

798-1/0/10192 NORTH CRESCENT
19-JUL-02 War Memorial

GV II

The 12th County of London Regiment ('the Rangers') war memorial. C.1920. Designer unknown. Portland stone pylon with the regimental cap badge in bronze on the front; sandstone base. Inset corners, stepped top, placed on a square base with a cyma moulding. Front inscription 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.' On the rear is the inscription 'To the Memory of 1193 Rangers who died for the Empire'. On each side is a list of First World War battles in which the regiment fought. Those on the west side are Ypres 1915, St Julien, Frezenburg Ridge, Somme 1916, Gommecourt, Ginchy, Morval, Transloy Ridges, Arras 1917, First Scarpe 1917, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917; those on the east side are Langemark 1917, Menin Road Ridge, Polygon Wood, 2nd Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, First Somme 1918, St Quentin, Villers-Bretonneux, Amiens, Second Somme 1918, Albert 1918, Epehy. A number of the inscriptions were weathered at the time of inspection. Lower down on the front of the memorial are added inscriptions dating from after the Second World War: 'K.R.R.C. 1939-1945. Greece 1941 Crete Western Desert 1941. Veve, Proasteion, Canea. Retimo, Middle East 1941, Gazala. Retma, Bir Hacheim. Fuka Airfield North Africa 1942. Ruweisat. Defence of Alamein.
HISTORY: an elegant Neoclassical pylon with an imposing list of engagements fought in by this rifle regiment. The setting has been transformed by the erection of the Second World War deep shelter directly behind. The location of the memorial owes much to the nearby former Bloomsbury Rifles drill hall of 1882-83 in Chenies Street. The memorial looks down Alfred Place, which, with its crescents to north and south, was laid out by George Dance in 1802-10: this memorial underscores the axial monumentality of this part of Bloomsbury, as well as being an eloquent reminder of the regiment's losses and war records.

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, 9 February 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26314605

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
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  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)