Wreaths were laid today at the Chenies Street war memorial near the former headquarters of The Rangers regiment. Three wreaths were placed at the base of the memorial for Remembrance Sunday and as part of commemorations marking the centenary of the start of the First World War.
The Chenies Street monument is in memorial to The Rangers 12th County of London Regiment 1914-1919, and the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) 1939-1945.
The monument is Grade II listed and English Heritage states that it was built around 1920. “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.”
Behind the monument is the entrance to one of the London World War 2 deep level shelters. During WW2 the shelter which is now a listed building was used as General Eisenhower’s London headquarters.
On the four faces of the monument are inscriptions.
On the front:
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.
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 Line
On the right face:
Langemark 1917
Menin Road – Ridge
Polygon Wood
Passchendaele
Cambrai 1917
First Somme 1918
St. Quentin
Villers Bretonneux
Amiens
Second Somme 1918
Albert 1918
Epehy
On the back face:
To the immortal memory of 1193 Rangers who died for the Empire.
On the left face:
Ypres 1915
St. Julien
Frezenberg Ridge
Somme 1916
Gommecourt
Ginchy
Norval
Transloy Ridges
Arras 1917
First Scarpe 1917
Bullecourt
Ypres 1917
(Information from London Remembers)
A book entitled The Rangers Historical Records from 1859 to the conclusion of The Grear War is available in the Internet Archive here. The King’s Royal Rifle Corps Association website has a history of the regiment.