Cheltenham College Stone of Remembrance

WM name reference IWM72223

Current Location:

National Memorial Arboretum Croxall Road Alrewas Lichfield Staffordshire DE13 7AR

Description:

Stone of remembrance depicting an open book, with engraved commemoration, above a tapered plinth with the College Coat of Arms engraved on the front face of the plinth. The plinth is fixed to a square, tapered stone base with a biblical inscription on the front face. To the right-hand side of the stone is a lectern board/information plaque with an illustration of the college above two columns of text

Campaign:

World War 1

World War 2

Inscription:

Stone: TO THE/ MEMORY OF/ FORMER PUPILS/ FROM CHELTENHAM COLLEGE/ WHO HAVE SERVED/ IN WARS AND CAMPAIGNS/ SINCE 1841 Base: FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED,/ BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY. Plaque: [Illustration of Cheltenham College above centrally positioned crossed British Flag and College Colours and College Coat of Arms, these dividing two columns of text] CHELTENHAM COLLEGE WAS FOUNDED ON 28 JULY 1841. IT WAS/ THE FIRST OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BE ESTABLISHED IN THE/ VICTORIAN ERA. SINCE THOSE EARLIEST DAYS OVER SIX THOUSAND/ CHELTONIANS HAVE SERVED IN WARS AND MILITARY CAMPAIGNS/ WITH DISTINCTION. FOURTEEN VICTORIA CROSSES AND MANY/ OTHER GALLANTRY MEDALS HAVE BEEN AWARDED. IN RECOGNITION/ OF THIS CONTRIBUTION CHELTENHAM COLLEGE WAS THE FIRST OF/ THE ENGLISH NON MILITARY SCHOOLS TO BE GRANTED COLOURS/ AND PARADES THEM EACH YEAR./ OVER FIFTEEN HUNDRED CHELTONIANS HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN/ SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY INCLUDING FIFTY FIVE IN THE BOER/ WAR, SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR/ AND THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THREE IN THE SECOND WORLD/ WAR. FOURTEEN FLEW IN ACTION IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN./ ON 8 MAY 2004 THE COLLEGE COLOURS WERE PARADED AT THE/ MENIN GATE AT YPRES IN BELGIUM. ON THE FOLLOWING DAY/ THE COLLEGE MEMORIAL TO THE CHELTONIANS WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR WAS RENEWED IN ST GEORGE'S/ MEMORIAL CHURCH IN YPRES. IN 2008 THE CHELTONIAN/ SOCIETY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DECIDED THAT THERE SHOULD/ BE A MEMORIAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM TO ALL CHELTONIANS/ WHO HAVE SERVED IN WARS AND MILITARY CAMPAIGNS SINCE 1841/ AND THAT IT SHOULD BE PLACED AT THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL/ ARBORETUM. CHELTENHAM COLLEGE IS THE FIRST SCHOOL TO/ HONOUR FORMER PUPILS WITH A MEMORIAL HERE AT THE/ ARBORETUM./ THE BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, THE RIGHT REVEREND JAMES/ LONGSTAFF, AN OLD CHELTONIAN, DEDICATED THIS MEMORIAL/ IN THE COLLEGE CHAPEL ON 27 SEPTEMBER 2012 AS PART OF/ THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE FORMATION IN/ 1862 OF THE CHELTENHAM COLLEGE RIFLE CORPS, THE/ FORERUNNER OF THE COMBINED CADET FORCE. THE MEMORIAL/ WAS INSTALLED HERE AT THE ARBORETUM AT A SERVICE OF BLESSING/ ON 7 OCTOBER 2012 CONDUCTED BY THE BISHOP OF ROCHESTER. Footnotes: THE MEMORIAL WAS CONSTRUCTED, INSCRIBED AND INSTALLED BY/ A. WALKER & SONS, MONUMENTAL, ECCLESIASTICAL AND GENERAL MASONS/ OF CANNOCK./ THIS LECTERN BOARD WAS DONATED BY DR. BRIDGET JEPSON,/ THE NIECE OF DESMOND SCOTT, AN OLD CHELTONIAN, KILLED/ IN ACTION IN 1916 AT POZIERES