The Royal Naval Division Memorial
THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF PRINCE CHARLES & THE MANY CONTRIBUTORS TO THE MEMORIAL APPEAL, THE RND MEMORIAL RETURNED TO ITS ORIGINAL SITE IN HORSE GUARDS PARADE & WAS REDEDICATED AT A SERVICE HELD ON "BEAUCOURT DAY" 13th NOVEMBER 2003.
The Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB
In 1919, its valiant duty done, the Royal Naval Division was formally disbanded at a parade on Horse Guards at which my great-uncle, The Prince of Wales, took the salute. The beautiful Lutyens Memorial was later erected overlooking the Parade, and would still be there but for the exigencies of a later conflict.
During its short existence the RND added another illustrious page to the history of the Royal Navy. In achieving its legendary reputation, the Division suffered terrible casualties among the Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Army units which were part of the Formation.
The Royal Naval College Greenwich has cared for and tended the Memorial to these gallant men for many years, and provided a warm welcome for the Divisional Reunions. Now the survivors are almost all gone, and Greenwich is no longer a naval establishment. The time is right for the Memorial to be reinstated in its rightful place in the heart of our nation's capital.
I am delighted to lend my support to the campaign to restore the Royal Naval Division Memorial to its original site on Horse Guards.
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IN
MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION
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WHO
GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY 1914 - 1918
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After a long period of negotiations with the appropriate authorities, all the necessary permissions and approvals have been received for the move of the RND Memorial from Greenwich back to its original site overlooking Horse Guards Parade. The Committee are already well on the way to raising the estimated total of £200,000 required for the works and for guaranteeing maintenance of the Memorial in perpetuity. A tentative date in the Spring of 2003 has been set for the rededication of the Memorial.
It is with the greatest pride and pleasure that we invite you to be part of this most worthy project, which will at last enable the Memorial to be returned to the ceremonial heart of London, where it will provide a more visible reminder of the sacrifice and glorious deeds of the Royal Naval Division during its short but eventful life.
THE APPEAL TO REINSTATE THE ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION MEMORIAL
THE RND MEMORIAL commemorates no less than 45,000 casualties sustained by the Royal Naval Division in the First World War. Formed in 1914 by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, as an intervention and raiding force, the RND fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, achieving a deservedly high reputation as a front-line fighting formation. The Division was disbanded in 1919 and the survivors commissioned Sir Edwin Lutyens to design a suitable memorial to stand on the corner of the balustrade of the Old Admiralty Building, overlooking Horse Guards. The site and design were personally approved by HM King George V.
The RND Memorial Fountain pictured in its original location during the RND memorial parade at Horse Guards in 1934.
The Memorial was unveiled in 1925, when Churchill spoke in ringing tones of the exploits of the Division. This elegant fountain stood in silent remembrance until 1939, when it was dismantled and stored to prevent it being damaged during the construction of the Citadel behind the Admiralty. It was re-erected in 1951 at the Royal Naval College Greenwich. As the College is no longer a Royal Naval Establishment, the Committee believes that the time is now right for the Memorial to be returned to its place in the ceremonial heart of the capital, where its artistic merit and the scale of what it commemorates can be better appreciated. Most importantly, those relatives of the Division's survivors who we have been able to contact are unanimous in their wish for it to be returned to Horse Guards.
The original plinth of the Memorial, complete with the fountain pipework, has survived, and the task of reinstating it is relatively simple. All that is now necessary is sufficient funds to undertake the work and provide for the maintenance of the memorial in perpetuity. Please give as generously as you can to help restore this beautiful Memorial to its original place.
Lt.Gen. Sir Robin Ross (Chairman).
The Memorial's location at Greenwich in 1999
The following text is part of the address by Winston Churchill at the unveiling of the Memorial on Horse Guards, on the 10th anniversary of the Gallipoli Landings, 25th April 1925:-
"Everyone, I think, must admire the grace & simplicity of this Fountain, which the genius of Lutyens has designed. The site is also well chosen. Here, under the shadow of the Admiralty building, where, 11 years ago, the Royal Naval Division was called into martial life, this monument now records their fame and preserves their memory... Doubts and disillusions may be answered by the sure assertion that the sacrifice of these men was not made in vain. And this Fountain to the memory of the Royal Naval Division will give forth not only the waters of honour, but the waters of healing and the waters of hope."
Mr Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Prince Louis of Battenberg, First Sea Lord, walking to the Admiralty in early 1914.
The Rt. Hon. Winston S. Churchill, P.C., M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty 1911-1915 and Founder of the RND, pictured in 1938.
The inscription on the Memorial, from a pre-war poem by Rupert Brooke, who died on active service with the RND in the Dardanelles in 1915.
Sub.Lt. Rupert Brooke and Officers of the Hood Battalion RND at Blandford Camp in February 1915.
From left to right, back row:-
| Sub.Lt. Arthur ASQUITH RNVR (later Brig.Gen. DSO & 2 bars ; son of PM Herbert Asquith) |
| Lt. JACOBS RMLI? (battalion Interpreter ; untraced: no other details available) |
| Sub.Lt. Edmund WALLER RNVR (shell-shocked 6/5/15 & discharged Medically Unfit 8/9/15) |
| Sub.Lt. Leslie Garnet SHADBOLT RNVR (ex-LZ/22 LS RNVR ; wnd. 4/6/15 ; To Ministry of Munitions 16/9/15) |
From left to right, middle row:-
| Sub.Lt. Ed. Wm. NELSON RNVR (later Cdr. RNVR & OC of Hood, Nelson & 189th Inf. Bde.) |
| Sub.Lt. Rupert Chawner BROOKE RNVR (ex-Anson Bn. at Antwerp 1914 ; Died of Pneumococcos Septicaemia 23/4/15) |
| Sub.Lt. Wm. Markham Le Clerk EGERTON RNVR (later Cdr. RNVR DSO ; Adjutant & OC Hood Bn.) |
| Sub.Lt. John Bigdon DODGE RNVR (later Lt. RNVR DSC ; wnd. May 1915 ; Transferred to Army 4/4/16) |
| Sub.Lt. William Denis BROWNE RNVR (ex-Anson Bn. At Antwerp 1914 ; KIA Hood Bn. 4/6/15) |
| Sub.Lt. Unknown (believed to be Sub.Lt. Alex. Geo. North CHALMERS, Hood Bn. 11/11/14-9/7/15 shell-shocked) |
| Sub.Lt. Charles James MARTIN RNVR (KIA Hood Bn. 4/6/15) |
| Sub.Lt. Eric Muir GAMAGE RNVR (later Lt. RNVR; wounded May 1915; discharged Medically Unfit 6/3/16. |
| Sub.Lt. Douglas Warrender CASSY RNVR (to UK shell-shocked 21/7/15 ; to Special Reserve Grenadier Guards 29/11/15) |
| Hon. Lt. & QM Ernest NOBBS RM (later transferred to RNVR as Lt.; KIA Hood Bn. 24/3/18) |
From left to right, front row:-
| Assistant Paymaster Herbert Edward GILLARD RNVR (ex-Collingwood Bn. At Antwerp 1914 ; to UK sick Sept. 1915) |
| Lt. John White FERGUSON RNVR (KIA Hood Bn. 4/6/15) |
| Lt.Cdr. Bernard Cyril FREYBERG RNVR (later Brig.Gen. VC DSO & OC Hood Bn.) |
| Lt.Cdr. Raymond Stericker PARSONS RN (KIA Hood Bn. 4/6/15) |
| Lt.Cdr. Alex. Cecil GRAHAM RNVR (Adjutant ; wnd. 4/6/15 ; to Special Reserve Grenadier Guards 9/12/15 ; KIA Capt. 1st Bn. Grenadier Guards 10/9/16) |
| Lt.Col. John Arnold Cuthbert QUILTER Grenadier Guards, OC Hood Bn. (KIA Hood Bn. 6/5/15) |
| Lt.Cdr. Sidney John BURNETT RNVR (wnd. May 1915 ; Transferred to South Staffs Regt. 7/8/16) |
| Lt.Cdr. George Grant DAGLISH RNVR (wnd. May 1915 ; Transferred to Cammell Laird for Munitions Work) |
| Lt. Alan Rumshr HUGHES RNVR (later Lt.Cdr. RNVR ; wnd. May 1915 ; To Sea-Service 4/8/15) |
| Sub.Lt. The Hon. Maurice Henry Nelson HOOD RNVR (KIA Hood Bn. 4/6/15) |
| Lt. Hew Cockburn HEDDERWICK RNVR (wnd. 4/6/15 ; To Sea-Service 12/8/15) |
MEMBERS OF THE APPEAL COMMITTEE
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Lieutenant
General Sir Robin Ross KCB OBE (Chairman)
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The
Lord Freyberg (vice Chairman)
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Captain
C.L.W. Page RN (vice Chairman)
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Lieutenant
Colonel A.J.F. Noyes RM (Treasurer)
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Winston
Churchill MP
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The
Lady Freyberg
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The
Hon. Annabel Freyberg
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The
Hon. Vyvyan Harmsworth
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Sir
Houston Shaw Stewart
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Sir
Andrew & Lady Huxley
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Dirk
Hazell MP
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Mr
David Saunders
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Mr
Reginald Miles
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Mr
Len Sellers
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Mr
Tony Froom
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Commander
I. Dunkley RN
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Mr
Ray Needham
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