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Memorial details

Memorial type
Obelisk
District
Mid Bedfordshire
Town
Chicksands
County
Bedfordshire
Country
England
Commemoration
Crimean War (1853-1856), Napoleonic Wars (1803-1814), Waterloo Campaign (1815)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 1816
    Attended by: General Sir George Osborne
  • Rededicated
    Date: 27 May 1976
    Attended by: Senior US Air Force and RAF Commanders
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
7614

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Current location

20 metres east of Chicksands Abbey.
Defence Intelligence and Security Centre
Rosata Lane
Chicksands
Mid Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
SG17 5XF
England

OS Grid Ref: TL 1216739356
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • C 550m north of present location
    on a hillside.
    Chicksands Abbey
    Chicksands
    Mid Bedfordshire
    Bedfordshire
    England

    OS Grid Ref: TL 105 406
    Denomination: Undefined
  • In the 'Sands Garden'
    whose location is unknown.
    Chicksands Abbey
    Chicksands
    Mid Bedfordshire
    Bedfordshire
    England

    OS Grid Ref: Undefined
    Denomination: Undefined
  • Show More (1)
Description
Square base surmounted by square plinth and obelisk. Inscription carved onto the sides of the plinth.
Inscription
3 o'clock (East side) : TO THE MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS & PRIVATE SOLDIERS/ OF THE FORTIETH REGIMENT OF FOOT/ WHO GLORIOUSLY FELL IN THE CONTEST/ MAINTAINED BY GREAT BRITAIN AGAINST REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE/ COMMENCING IN THE YEAR 1793/ AND TERMINATING IN THE YEAR 1815/ BY THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO AND THE CAPTURE OF PARIS/ THIS PILLAR IS ERECTED/ BY GENERAL SIR GEORGE OSBORN BART THEIR COLONEL/ IN HUMBLE GRATITUDE TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE/ FOR THE SUCCESS OF HIS MAJESTY'S ARMS/ AND THE RESTORATION OF THE BLESSINGS OF PEACE 9 o'clock (West side): FOR PEACE RESTORED TO EUROPE/ AND FREEDOM TO THE NATIONS/ OPPRESSED, INSULTED/ BY THE AMBITION OF ONE MAN/ WHO IN THE END MIGHT HAVE DEFIED RESISTANCE EXTINGUISHED HOPE/ BUT FOR THEIR HEROIC EFFORTS/ AIDED BY THE COUNSELS AND VALOUR OF THIS COUNTRY/ WHICH CLAIMS SO PROUD A SHARE IN THE GLORY OF THEIR DELIVERANCE/ FOR THESE BLESSINGS/ LONG AND ARDUOUSLY CONTENDED FOR/ LET GRATITUDE BE FELT/ TO THOSE WHETHER OF THIS OR FOREIGN LANDS/ WHO NOBLY CONTRIBUTED TO PROCURE THEM/ BUT ABOVE ALL/ TO THE POWER INVISIBLE SUPREME 12 o'clock (North side): THIS PILLAR WAS RESTORED AND REMOVED TO ITS PRESENT SITE/ BY SIR GEORGE ROBERT OSBORN BARONET/ IN COMMEMORATION OF A/ TREATY OF PEACE/ SIGNED AT PARIS/ ON THE THIRTIETH DAY OF MARCH 1856/ BETWEEN THE ALLIED POWERS OF/ GREAT BRITAIN FRANCE SARDINIA AND TURKEY/ ON THE ONE SIDE AND/ RUSSIA/ ON THE OTHER AT THE TERMINATION/ OF THE ARDUOUS AND MEMORABLE CAMPAIGN/ OF THE CRIMEA/ ALMA BALACLAVA INKERMANN SEBASTOPOL 6 oc'clock (South side): THIS MONUMENT/ WAS RESTORED AND REMOVED IN 1975/76 TO THIS/ ITS THIRD LOCATION BY MEMBERS OF/ THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE STATIONED AT/ ROYAL AIR FORCE CHICKSANDS/ IN RECOGNITION OF THE LASTING BONDS OF/ FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE PEOPLES OF AMERICA/ AND TO COMMEMORATE/ 25 YEARS OF OPERATIONS HERE BY THE UNITED STATES/ AIR FORCE SECURITY SERVICE, THE BICENTENNIAL OF/ AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE AND EUROPEAN/ ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE YEAR.
Inscription legible?
no
Commemorations
  • Crimean War (1853-1856)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
  • Napoleonic Wars (1803-1814)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
  • Waterloo Campaign (1815)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Obelisk
    Measurements: depth 1110mm, height 7000mm, width 1110mm
    Materials: Stone
  • Tablets
    Measurements: height 760mm, width 960mm
    Materials: Stone
Listing information
  • Obelisk approximately 20 metres east of Chicksands Priory
  • Grade II
  • This memorial is protected, and listed on the National Heritage List for England maintained by Historic England. View list entry
  • More about listing and the protection of historic places can be found on the Historic England website
  • Historic England
Condition
History
September 2002: Inscriptions were cleaned and re-coloured. War Memorials Trust gave £250 for this work. 1992: Older inscription is hard to read. 1975-1976: Restored by USAF personnel and a Hitchin builder. The original obelisk was demolished and used for the foundations of the re-erected one. The tablets were cemented over and a new fourth tablet added.
Costs

Comments: Reconstruction cost was initially quoted c£350 and was sponsored by private donations. The Chicksands Officers' Wives Club donated the last £182 necessary to fund the memorial reconstruction.

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Private
Responsibility
USAF
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-7614

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