The RAMC Boer War Memorial

By Paul H. Vickers, Friends of the Aldershot Military Museum

Among the various war memorials in Aldershot, one of the earliest and most distinctive is the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) memorial situated at the top of Gun Hill.

This striking monument commemorates the RAMC personnel who died during the Second Boer War (1899-1902). During the nineteenth century there was tension and conflict in southern Africa between the British colonies of Natal and the Cape with the neighbouring Boer republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. Fighting had broken out in in 1880, and although peace was concluded in 1881 friction between the British and Boers continued. A second war erupted in 1899, in which the Boers proved to be a formidable enemy. The campaign was far more difficult and protracted than the British army expected, and huge numbers of British and Empire troops were sent to south Africa, over 100,000 passing through Aldershot as they were mobilised.

The RAMC had been created in 1898 by the merger of the Army Medical Staff (for officers) and the Medical Staff Corps (for other ranks). Personnel had deployed to the Sudan in that year, and then from 1899 they were fully committed to the Boer War. Medical staff worked tirelessly under constant pressure, both on the front line and in field hospitals. During the war they treated 22,000 wounded and 74,000 cases of disease.

A few months before the end of the war, members of the RAMC decided that a memorial should be erected to all ranks of the Corps who fell during the conflict and the Principal Medical Officers of all districts were requested to arrange the collection of subscriptions. When the war was over a management committee was elected, which met on 21 November 1902. They decided that the monument should take the form of an obelisk, and that the site would be in Aldershot, the exact location to be decided by the General Officer Commanding. The site chosen, on the summit of Gun Hill, was both a prominent location and within the grounds of the RAMC Officers’ Mess.

The architect appointed to design the memorial was Robert Weir Schultz (1860-1951). Although remembered as a follower of the arts and crafts movement, Schultz was also much influenced by classical principles and he had made a particular study of Byzantine architecture. Schultz designed the RAMC memorial in a classical Greek style, and consulted Dr. Murray, of the Greek department of the British Museum, for advice from his specialist knowledge. The monument had a central obelisk, 26 feet high, on a semi-circular base 23 feet wide. The obelisk was set against a wall of grey Cornish granite, with wreaths, braziers and lions supporting the column cast in bronze. On the wall were mounted 14 bronze tablets on which were cast the names of 21 officers, 2 warrant officers and 291 NCOs and men who had lost their lives during the war.

In the centre of the memorial was a fine bronze sculpture by William Goscombe John (1860-1952), depicting two members of the RAMC tending to a wounded soldier. Goscombe John had studied at the Cardiff School of Art and at the Royal Academy, where he won the gold medal in 1889. During a travelling scholarship John spent a year in Paris where he met Rodin. Back in England, John received a number of public and private commissions, and was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1899. After the First World War John designed numerous war memorials and was celebrated for his realistic depictions of soldiers, mastery of anatomy and portrayal of character.

The final cost of the memorial was £1,100, plus a further £200 for incidental expenses such as laying out the ground, planting and railings.

The date chosen for the unveiling of the memorial was 24 May 1905. Since 1902, the 24th May had been designated as “Empire Day”, when all parts of the British Empire celebrated their common allegiance and loyalty. It was particularly aimed at school children, who would salute the Union flag and sing patriotic songs. The unveiling would be performed by King Edward VII, who was attending a review at Frensham that morning and would then drive to Aldershot in the afternoon.

For the ceremony a large platform was erected, covered with crimson cloth and decorated with flowers. The memorial itself was covered by a Union flag. On the opposite side of the road was a stand with seats for the VIP guests. Facing the platform stood a guard of honour from the RAMC, the RAMC Band, and a party of RAMC buglers. All around was a huge crowd of officers, soldiers and civilians who had come to see the ceremony, and the surrounding roads were lined with spectators.

The King, accompanied by the Duke of Connaught and General Sir John French, GOC Aldershot, arrived by car at twenty minutes to four, preceded by two motor-cycle outriders flying small royal standards. As the King arrived the guard of honour gave a Royal Salute. His Majesty was met by the Director-General of the RAMC, Surgeon-General Keogh, who escorted him to the platform while the band played the National Anthem. The Director-General gave a short introductory address and the Chaplain-General read a prayer. The King then pulled a white silk cord which lowered the Union flag and revealed the memorial. As he did so, the buglers played the Last Post, the officers and men saluted, and all stood for a minute’s silence. The King then gave a short speech, in which he remembered “the valuable service which [the RAMC] rendered to their country and to the sick and wounded during the whole of that arduous campaign” and he concluded “It has given me great pleasure, and, I may say, melancholy satisfaction, at your wish to unveil this memorial today”. The buglers sounded Reveille, which brought the formal ceremony to an end.

General French then presented the officers on the platform to the King, along with the Mr Schultz and Mr Goscombe John. The National Anthem was played again, the King and Duke of Connaught returned to their car, and were driven back through the cheering crowds to Farnborough Station.

The RAMC memorial remains on its original site, the area around having recently been re-landscaped as part of the Wellesley development. Since 2010 it has been a Grade II listed monument and is a fitting commemoration of the service of the RAMC.

Credits

Article originally published in the The Garrison, Autumn 2023

Copyright © Paul H. Vickers. This article, including the accompanying pictures, may not be reproduced or republished, in whole or in part, either in print or electronically, including on any websites or social media sites, without the prior permission of the author.