War Memorials Associated With Gallipoli Campaign Listed

War memorials in Warwickshire, Greater Manchester and Kent associated with Gallipoli, one of the most notable military actions of the First World War, have been listed or have had their listing upgraded to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.

They have been listed by the Government on the advice of Historic England (formerly English Heritage) as part of a Historic England scheme to list up to 2,500 war memorials over the next five years to mark the centenary of the First World War. Built in the years following the conflict, war memorials are a poignant, physical reminder of the sacrifices and loss the First World War brought about.

St George's Church War Memorial Cross in Deal, Kent

This memorial has been listed at Grade II*. It was originally a private family memorial to two sons, one of whom, Arthur Tisdall, was killed at Gallipoli. Later it was decided to add the names of other men from the parish who died as the War progressed. Arthur Tisdall, Sub-Lieutenant who was in command of 13 Platoon, D Company, Anson Battalion, was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery at Gallipoli for his repeated efforts to rescue a number of wounded soldiers who were pinned down on the beach by Turkish machine gun fire. Before the war, he had also received a University of Cambridge's Chancellor's Medal for Classical Learning. The two very different medals of this exceptional scholar-soldier are represented in accurate, life-sized bronzes on the memorial shaft.

The Lancashire Fusiliers memorial, in Gallipoli Gardens, Bury, Greater Manchester

This has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* for its strong cultural and historic significance, notably as a reminder of the heavy losses of Bury men who served in the Lancashire Fusiliers in the Gallipoli campaign. It is a simple yet elegant obelisk incorporating carved decoration and two life-sized, heavily detailed, painted stone flags representing the colours of the King and the regiment. It was designed by the nationally renowned architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, who had a personal connection to the Lancashire Fusiliers regiment through his father and uncle and who is better known as architect of The Cenotaph in Whitehall, possibly the most famous war memorial in the world.

The Lancashire Fusiliers suffered notably heavy losses in the Gallipoli campaign when a large allied force landed in the Dardanelles intending to take Constantinople from the Turks. In a ten-month stalemate, over 1,800 Fusiliers were killed. This included 600 of the 1,000 men who came ashore on 'W' Beach in the initial landing, in the course of which the Regiment was awarded six Victoria Crosses, known as 'the Six VCs before breakfast'.

The 29th Division War Memorial, situated at the junction of the A45 and B4455 in Stretton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire

This has been upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* because it is probably the most significant single memorial in Britain associated with the Gallipoli Campaign. It marks the spot where King George V reviewed the men of the 29th Division in 1915 before they embarked for Gallipoli where they suffered heavy losses.

Next steps

The Gallipoli Campaign is one of the key centenaries being marked by national ceremonial events as part of the First World War commemorations. On Saturday 25 April 2015, there will be three commemorative ceremonies in London: a Dawn Service at Hyde Park Corner, a service at The Cenotaph and a service at Westminster Abbey. Before this there will also be a Commonwealth and Ireland Commemoration Service on Friday 24 April 2015 at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Cape Helles Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey. For further information on the events, visit the First World War centenary events page.

See more archive photographs and descriptions of all kinds of buildings and sites that tell the story of the First World War on the Home Front.