Memorial details

Memorial type
Composite
District
Lichfield
Town
Alrewas
County
Staffordshire
Country
England
Commemoration
Egypt and the Suez Crisis (1951-1956)
Maker
Brian Watts, SVA (Undefined)
J Springthorpe (Undefined)
Adrian Erwee (Engineer)
R Watts (Undefined)
Cdr Charles Bagot Jewitt DL. RN.Rtd (Undefined)
Ceremony
  • Rededicated
    Date: 31 March 2012
    Attended by: Cdr Charles Bagot Jewitt DL. RN.Rtd; Suez Veterans' Association members
  • Dedicated
    Date: 13 March 2004
    Attended by: Local Clergy/Dignitaries
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
61700

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Current location

Memorial number 226. Between the gravel works end of Giffard Avenue and the FEPOW Building.
National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road
Alrewas
Lichfield
Staffordshire
DE13 7AR
England

OS Grid Ref: SK 1818414686
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Two connected memorials and associated dedicatory/information plaques on a large plot paved with square flagstones and with palm tree (transplanted from an earlier memorial on the same site) planted at centre. The principal memorial is a pyramid-shaped stone of remembrance with dedicatory plaque with inscription. A metal container is affixed at the base of the pyramid: this contains sand brought from the Moascar cemetery. The second memorial is a cross of remembrance with sword attached to the shaft of the cross. A paved walkway leads to the memorials: a blue-coloured inlaid channel through the centre of the walkway depicts the Suez Canal and leads to a plaque, aligning a map of the region with the canal. A further element of the memorial is a metal structure designed to depict an open book on a table. The book is inscribed with the details of all branches of the British Armed Forces that served in the Suez Canal zone.
Inscription
Pyramid Base: TO ALL WHO SERVED Pyramid Plaque: THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED TO THE/ SERVICE PERSONNEL/ WHO SERVED IN THE/ CANAL ZONE OF EGYPT/ AND IS A TRIBUTE TO/ THOSE WHO DIED IN THE /COURSE OF THEIR DUTY./ 1939-1956 Dedicatory Plaque: THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH ARMY IN SUEZ/ DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE/ 18TH CENTURY, A BRITISH FORCE APPEARED BRIEFLY IN EGYPT./ IN 1882, AT THE REQUEST OF THE TURKISH RULERS OF EGYPT, A BRITISH ARMY/ WAS SENT TO HELP PUT DOWN A POPULAR REBELLION. A FORCE, UNDER/ SIR GARNET WOLSELEY, WAS SENT TO EGYPT. THE REBEL ARMY, LED BY/ ORABI PASHA, WAS CAMPED AT TEL EL KEBIR. AFTER A FORCED MARCH/ ACROSS THE DESERT FROM ISMAILIA, THE BRITISH FORCE SURPRISED AND/ DEFEATED ORABI PASHA'S ARMY. THE BRITISH ARMY WAS TO STAY IN/ EGYPT FOR THE NEXT 74 YEARS. EGYPT BECAME A VIRTUAL PUPPET STATE./ IN 1889 AN ANGLO-EGYPTIAN ARMY, UNDER LORD KITCHENER , SET OUT/ FROM EGYPT TO DEPOSE THE MAHDI'S SUCCESSORS AND AVENGE THE/ KILLING OF GENERAL GORDON AT KHARTOUM. THIS WAS ACHIEVED AT THE/ BATTLE OF OMDURMAN. IN 1936 THE ANGLO-EGYPTIAN TREATY OF/ FRIENDSHIP AND ALLIANCE WAS SIGNED GIVING BRITAIN THE RIGHT TO/ STATION TROOPS IN THE CANAL ZONE UNTIL 1957. IN 1947, THE BRITISH/ TROOPS MOVED FROM THEIR BASE IN CAIRO TO THE CANAL ZONE./ THE CANAL ZONE WAS A STRIP OF LAND ABOUT 100 MILES LONG BY 2 MILES/ WIDE STRETCHING ALONG THE WEST BANK OF THE SUEZ CANAL FROM PORT/SAID IN THE NORTH TO SUEZ IN THE SOUTH. THERE WAS ALSO A SPUR/ EXTENDING 25 MILES WESTWARD ALONG THE ISMAILIA-CAIRO ROAD IN/ WHICH WAS FOUND THE GARRISONS OF TEL EL KEBIR, QASSASSIN AND/ [...]. IN 1951, AGITATORS SUPPORTED BY RADICAL STUDENTS AND/ ENCOURAGED BY THE THEN NATIONALISTIC LEADER, COLONEL ABDUL/ NASSER, STARTED A CAMPAIGN OF NON CO-OPERATION WITH THE BRITISH./ THIS LED TO ACTS OF SABOTAGE AND GUERILLA ATTACKS WHICH, IN TURN,/ TRIGGERED AN INCREASE IN BRITISH FORCES TO ABOUT 80,000 MEN./ THESE ATTACKS CONTINUED SPASMODICALLY UNTIL 1954, WHEN IT WAS/ AGREED THAT THE BRITISH WOULD PULL OUT OF THE CANAL ZONE BY 1956./ IN JUNE 1956, THE LAST BRITISH SOLDIER LEFT AND THE UNION FLAG WAS/ LOWERED IN PORT SAID./ IN JULY 1956, NASSER NATIONALISED THE SUEZ CANAL. THE BRITISH,/ FRENCH AND ISRAELI GOVERNMENTS RESPONDED WITH AN AIRBORNE,/ SEABORNE AND OVERLAND ATTACK TO RETAKE THE CANAL. ON OCTOBER 29,/ THE ISRAELIS MOVED ACROSS THE SINAI DESERT. AN ANGLO-FRENCH FORCE/ LANDED AT PORT SAID A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER IN OPERATION MUSKETEER./ AFTER A FEW DAYS, ON NOVEMBER 5, UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE UNITED/ STATES, THE ALLIED C-IN-C GAVE THE ORDER TO CEASE FIRE. A FEW WEEKS/ LATER THE INVASION FORCE WAS WITHDRAWN./ FORTY-ONE YEARS AFTER THE FINAL BRITISH EVACUATION FROM EGYPT, A FEW/ OF THE THOUSANDS WHO SERVED THERE DECIDED TO FORM THE SUEZ/ VETERANS' ASSOCIATION. ONE RESULT OF THAT DECISION IS THIS PLOT, BUILT/ IN REMEMBRANCE OF COMRADES WHO DID NOT MAKE IT HOME AND WHO/ STILL LIE IN THE DESERT SAND ALONGSIDE THE SUEZ CANAL. Other structure (book): BRANCHES OF THE BRITISH ARMED FORCES WHO SERVED IN THE SUEZ CANAL ZONE OF EGYPT/ (Listing in four columns): ROYAL NAVY/ WOMEN'S ROYAL NAVAL SERVICE/ ROYAL MARINES - COMMANDOS - SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE/ ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY/ MERCHANT NAVY/ 1ST ROYAL DRAGOONS/ 5TH DRAGOON GUARDS/ 11TH HUSSARS/ 16TH/5TH THE QUEEN'S ROYAL LANCERS/ ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS/ ARMY AIR CORPS/ ARMY CATERING CORPS/ ARMY PHYSICAL TRAINING CORPS/ AUXILIARY TERRITORIAL SERVICE/ BEDFORDSHIRE AND HERTFORSHIRE REGIMENT/ BORDER TERRIERS/ CHESHIRE REGIMENT/ COLDSTREAM GUARDS/ DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY/ LANCASHIRE REGIMENT/ SURRY (Sic) REGIMENT/ (...) HEADQUARTERS/ (...) SERVICE CORPS/ (...) SHIRE REGIMENT/ GREEN HOWARDS/ GRENADIER GUARDS/ HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY/ INTELLIGENCE CORPS/ IRISH GUARDS/ KING'S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY/ KING'S ROYAL RIFLE CORPS/ LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS/ LOYAL REGIMENT (NORTH LANCASHIRE)/ MIDDLESEX REGIMENT/ MILITARY PROVOST STAFF CORPS/ NORTHAMPTONSHIRE REGIMENT/ NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT/ OXFORD AND BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY/ PARACHUTE CORPS/ QUEEN ALEXANDRA'S ROYAL ARMY NURSING CORPS/ QUEEN ALEXANDRA'S IMPERIAL MILITARY NURSING SERVICE/ QUEEN'S BAYS (2ND DRAGOON GUARDS)/ QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS/ ROYAL ARMY CHAPLAIN'S CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY DENTAL CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY EDUCATION CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY PAY CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY SERVICE CORPS/ ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS/ ROYAL ARTILLERY/ ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT/ ROYAL CORPS OF SIGNALS/ ROYAL ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS/ ROYAL ENGINEERS/ ROYAL FUSILIERS/ ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY/ ROYAL INNISKILLING DRAGON GUARDS/ ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSLIERS/ ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS/ ROYAL LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMEN/ ROYAL MILITARY POLICE/ ROYAL NORFOLK REGIMENT/ ROYAL NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS/ ROYAL PIONNERS/ ROYAL SCOTS/ ROYAL SCOTS GREYS/ ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT/ ROYAL TANK REGIMENT/ ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT/ ROYAL WEST KENT REGIMENT/ SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS/ SCOTS GUARDS/ SHERWOOD FORESTERS/ SOUTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT/ SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT/ SOUTH WALES BORDERERS/ THE LIFE GUARDS/ THE BUFFS (ROYAL EAST KENT REGIMENT)/ WELSH GUARDS/ WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT/ WOMEN'S ROYAL ARMY CORPS/ YORK AND LANCASTER REGIMENT/ ROYAL AIR FORCE/ ROYAL AIR FORCE POLICE/ ROYAL AIR FORCE AUXILIARY/ ROYAL AIR FORCE REGIMENT/ PRINCESS MARY'S ROYAL AIR FORCE NURSING SERVICE / WOMEN'S AUXILIARY AIR FORCE/ WOMEN'S ROYAL AIR FORCE/ EAST AFRICAN ARMY SERVICE/ EAST AFRICAN PIONEERS/ RHODESIAN ARMY (...)/ COMMONWEALTH ARMY (...)/ MAURITUS AND THE SEYCHELLES (...)/ VARIOUS CIVILIAN SUPPORT (...)
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Egypt and the Suez Crisis (1951-1956)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Stone of remembrance
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone
  • Plaque
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Metal
  • Tree
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone, Metal
  • Cross
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Metal
  • Plaque
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Metal
  • Other structure
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Undefined
Listing information
Condition
History
Re-dedication ceremony report in Navy News, May 2012 describes maintenance problems with the original memorial and refurbishment with a 'low-maintenance design'. This included the replacement of the pyramid and introduction of a new cross of remembrance.
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Corporate
Responsibility
Suez Veterans' Association
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.

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© WMR-61700

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