The Liverpool Scottish Memorial is a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

memorial erected in Belgium in 2000. It is located in Railway Wood on the Bellewaerde Ridge near

Zillebeke Zillebeke (also known as Zellebeck) is a village in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium. It is a former municipality which is now part of Ypres. History On 3 March 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms of the last Lord ...

, about 4 kilometres east of Ypres, and a little north of Hooge. The area was the site of intensive fighting in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Near the memorial is the site of

RE Grave, Railway Wood RE Grave, Railway Wood is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) memorial and war grave located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. It is located on the Bellewaerde Ridge near Zillebeke, about 4 kilometres east of Ypres, and a little ...

Unit history

The Liverpool Scottish unit of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

fought in the second wave of the "Battle of Hooge", officially known as the "First Attack at Bellewaarde", in June 1915 during World War I. This action, in defence of the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient, around Ypres, in Belgium, was the scene of several battles and a major part of the Western Front during World War I. Location Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. The city is overlooked b ...

, was not altogether successful and resulted in the depletion of the unit. Many men from the battle are buried at

Tyne Cot Cemetery Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of World War I in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front. It is the lar ...

.LiverpoolScottish.org.uk
on the dedication of the memorial, accessed 19 June 2006

Stone history

The

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

is made up of three parts - a

carved stone Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural Rock (geology), stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past tim ...

, the inscription tablet in black

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and the flagstones around the memorial. The carved stone, showing the badge of the 10th (Scottish) Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment), was originally the keystone of the Fraser Street barracks of the unit. When the barracks were demolished in 1967 the stone was salvaged and placed into storage. In 1978 it was placed in front of the new Score Lane headquarters on a brick plinth. When these headquarters closed in 1999, the unit decided to move the stone, as part of a new memorial, to the

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

area.LiverpoolScottish.org.uk
on the unveiling of the memorial, accessed 19 June 2006 A black marble inscription, describing the actions at Bellewaarde, was placed at the base of the stone. The flagstones surrounding the memorial were donated by

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

and amount to 2 tonnes of paving blocks (

cobbles Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct from a ...

) from the streets of the city.

Inscription

The stone is inscribed in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, the language of the locality. In English, it reads: ''THE LIVERPOOL SCOTTISH BELLEWAARDE'' ''16 June 1915'' ''From a line 250 m. West of this point 23 officers and 519 other ranks of 1/10 (Scottish) Battalion The King's (Liverpool) Regiment, TF, advanced East up the slope towards German trenches on Bellewaarde Ridge.4 officers and 75 other ranks were killed, 11 officers and 201 other ranks were wounded and 6 officers and 103 other ranks were missing. Of the missing all the officers and - with a very few exceptions - all the men were subsequently reported killed.'' ''In memory of all who have served in The Liverpool Scottish and have died in the service of their country.''

References

External links

wo1.be
{{DEFAULTSORT:The Liverpool Scottish Memorial Stone British military memorials and cemeteries World War I memorials in Belgium

Liverpool Scottish The Liverpool Scottish, known as "the Scottish", was a unit of the British Army, part of the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve (formerly the Territorial Army), raised in 1900 as an infantry battalion of the King's Regiment (Liverpool), K ...

Ypres Salient