Royal Naval Division Memorial, War memorial at Horse Guards Parade, England.
The Royal Naval Division Memorial is a war memorial at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster, London, built around an obelisk rising from a wide stone base decorated with lion-head water spouts. Military insignia are carved into the surfaces of the structure throughout.
Edwin Lutyens designed this memorial, which was unveiled in 1925 to honor members of the 63rd Royal Naval Division who died in the First World War. It was taken down in 1939, spent decades in Greenwich, and was reinstated at Horse Guards Parade in 2003.
Words from Rupert Brooke's poem 'III: The Dead' are engraved directly on the stone, making poetry part of the act of remembrance. Visitors can read these lines while standing at the memorial, which gives the visit a more personal and literary feel than a typical war monument.
The memorial stands in a publicly accessible spot at Horse Guards Parade and can be visited at any time of day, though the parade ground sometimes closes for official ceremonies. Checking in advance whether any events are planned on your visit day is a good idea.
The memorial was moved in 1939 not because of wartime damage but to make way for the construction of the Admiralty Citadel nearby. It spent over 60 years in Greenwich before being brought back, meaning many generations visited a site that was actually missing its central monument.
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