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A Ypres Memorial on Shooters Hill.
Thb Ypres Times.
18
In ascending Shooters Hill, from the west, the attention of wayfarers is attracted by
the war memorial standing in the grounds of the parish church of Christ Church,
Shooters Hill. This memorial consists of a graceful cross of Cornish granite, II feet in
height and carrying the inscriptionThanks be to God which giveth us the Victory.
In proud and grateful memory of 46 Officers and Men of this Parish and Church who
laid down their lives in the Great War of 1914-1919." At the foot of the mound on
which this cross is beautifully sited, and close to the fence, is the old milestone, the eighth
from London Bridge, formerly located on the opposite side of the Dover road, in which
position it then indicated the distance to Dartford as being seven miles. That plate has,
however, been replaced by one stating that the distance to Ypres is 130 miles, and recording
that In defending the Salient our casualties were 90,000 killed, 70,500 wounded, 410,000
missing."
The distance, which was carefully computed as on the arc of a great circle, by the
then Director-General of the Ordnance Survey, Colonel Sir C. F. Close, K.B.É., C.B.,
C.M.G., F. R.S., R.E., is exact to within one-
tenth of a mile, as between the Chinch and
the celebrated Cloth Hall. The figures
of the casualties are from official sources
and are confined to the ground covered
between Hollebeke and the right flank of
the Belgian fine.
The history of this milestone is that
when the road was being repaired and
regraded in 1903, the stone was broken in
two pieces by the steam roller and thrown
on one side to be broken up for road metal.
The then Vicar, the Rev. Dr. T. B. Willson,
Iyitt.D., with due authority from the
Borough Authority, removed the frag
ments into the church grounds, where
they were dowelled together by the late
Mr. Joseph Randall, and set up near the
chinch door. The Dartford plate had
been totally destroyed in the collision
with the steam roller. When the memorial
cross was erected, the stone was moved to
its present position and the plate renewed
as above described, on the suggestion and
under the direction of Colonel A. H.
Bagnold, C.B., C.M.G., then Secretary
of the Local War Memorial Committee.
The record within the church consists
of a massive tablet of electro-deposited
oopper, weighing nearly 3 cwt., and
setting forth in full the names, ranks,
regiments or corps, places of death and
dates of death of those who fell. The Milestone, Shooters Hill
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410000 Tftwjjto.
By COLONEL A. H. BAGNOLD, C.B., C.M.G.
