The Loos Memorial is a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 or works of a ...

forming the sides and rear of

Dud Corner Cemetery The Loos Memorial is a World War I memorial forming the sides and rear of Dud Corner Cemetery, located near the commune of Loos-en-Gohelle, in the Pas-de-Calais département of France. The memorial lists 20,610 names of British and Commonwealt ...

, located near the commune of Loos-en-Gohelle, in the

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

département of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The memorial lists 20,610 names of British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave who were killed in the area during and after the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

, which started on 25 September 1915. This memorial covers the same sector of the front as the

Le Touret Memorial The Le Touret Memorial is a World War I memorial, located near the former commune of Richebourg-l'Avoué, in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. The memorial lists 13,389 names of British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave who were kill ...

, with each memorial commemorating the dead either side of the date of the start of the Battle of Loos. Designed by

Sir Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He wa ...

, the sculptures were by

Sir Charles Wheeler Sir Selwyn Charles Cornelius-Wheeler (26 March 1923 – 4 July 2008) was a British journalist and broadcaster. Having joined the BBC in 1947, he became the corporation's longest-serving foreign correspondent, remaining in the role until his deat ...

. The memorial was unveiled on 4 August 1930 by General Sir Nevil Macready. Macready served as Adjutant-General of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from the outbreak of the war to February 1916, and then served as

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

until a few months before the end of the war in November 1918.

Notable commemoratees

Three posthumous

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

recipients are commemorated on this memorial under their respective regiments: *Lieutenant-Colonel Angus Douglas-Hamilton *Private George Peachment *Second Lieutenant

Frank Wearne Frank Wearne (May 27, 1913, Belle Plaine, Iowa – February 21, 1985 Los Angeles, California) was an American racecar driver. He grew up in Altadena, California and began his racing career in roadsters on the Jeffries Ranch track in Burbank. He m ...

Also commemorated on this memorial are: *Scots

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

international Second Lieutenant Walter Michael Dickson *English first-class cricketer Arthur Edwards. *England rugby international Second Lieutenant Douglas Lambert. *British

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Second Lieutenant The Hon. Charles Thomas Mills. *poet Captain Charles Sorley
CWGC Casualty Record, Charles Hamilton Sorley. *Wales

international Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Garnons Williams.Casualty details—Garnons Williams, Richard Davies

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

. Retrieved on 16 April 2009.

References

External links

Commonwealth War Graves Commission details of the Loos Memorial
{{World War I War Memorials in France Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials World War I memorials in France Buildings and structures completed in 1930 Monuments and memorials in the Pas-de-Calais Herbert Baker buildings and structures