Memorial

Monument: Queen’s Regiment war memorial

Erection date: 19/7/1924

Inscription

{Low down on the front:}
1914 - 1918, Remember the Fallen, 1/24th and 2/24th (County of London) Battalions, the London Regiment (The Queen's)
France and Flanders, Salonika Palestine

{On the left face:}
2nd/7th Queen's, France 1940, Tunis-Salerno-Volturno, Cassino-Anzio, Gothic Line, Lonbardy-Venetia

{On the right face:}
1st/7th Queen's, Dunkirk 1940, Alamein-Tripoli-Mareth, Tunis-Salerno-Volturno, Nomandy 1944, France-Flanders-Holland

{On the front, below the carved relief of the lamb and flag, in a wreath:}
This inscription is added to commemorate the officers and men of the 1st/7th and 2nd/7th Battalions, the Queen's Royal Regiment who gave their lives, 1939 - 1945.

{On the back, carved as if stamped on:}
Their name liveth for evermore
Ecclesiasticas, XLIV.14

A TfL document describes this as: "a Portland stone monument by Lucas, Lancaster and Lodge." We'd guess the 3Ls include the architect and sculptor but we can't identify any of them.

We have to admit that we just don't understand the naming of armed battalions, regiments, etc. and it's likely that we're not recording this aspect of war memorials correctly. For example, from the Great War Forum: "Although the memorial was specifically for the 24th Londons, it now serves as Kennington's war memorial for both World Wars." But Lambeth have some photos of the unveiling ceremony where the monument is said to commemorate "the local Territorial battalion of the 47th Division, 'The Queens', after World War I." Forgive us for not getting to grips with, what to us appears, the arcane intricacies of this military terminology.

August 2018: Via Facebook Cal Deetho has kindly sent some links to early images of this memorial before it was sadly denuded of its bronze-work: Lambeth Borough Photos 1 and Lambeth Borough Photos 2.