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permanent exhibition by the Royal
Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum in
Winchester, which included a
magnificent diorama of the battle. The
new exhibition and facilities was
opened by the current Duke of
Wellington and has increased the
museum’s outreach programme, and
created a learning space which is used
by schools and the local community.
The Wellington Memorial in Aldershot © Crown
Buckingham Palace, it was moved after
the Duke’s death to Aldershot. It was
re-erected in 1885 and stands proudly
near the Royal Garrison Church.
The Renovation of the
Chatham French War Memorial
One of the more unusual remnants of
the Napoleonic Wars is the war
memorial in Chatham to the French
prisoners of war. There were many
Napoleonic French prisoner of war
camps across England and the
majority of prisoners were kept in
over-crowded naval hulks which were
floating prisons on the Medway,
Portsmouth Harbour and other coastal
inlets and harbours.
The Chatham memorial was originally
located on St Mary’s Island and marked
the spot of the burial place of the
French prisoners of war who died on
the disease-ridden prison hulks in
Short Reach near Chatham. The bodies
were buried on the marsh land now
called St Mary’s Island.
By the 1850s the Admiralty wished to
expand Chatham naval base so St
Mary’s Island and the accompanying
marsh were bought. The bodies of the
French prisoners were moved to a new
cemetery and the present memorial
was built to mark the burial spot.
However, the interred and memorial
were moved again in 1904 as the naval
base continued to expand. It was
reported that 521 skulls and remains
were re-buried in 29 boxes in the Royal
Naval barracks site, with a further 362
remains being re-interred in 1991.
By 2013 the memorial had suffered the
ravages of time and it was carefully
conserved as a permanent reminder of
the French prisoners of war who had
died in the Chatham area. A
conservation team was formed to repair
the Grade II listed memorial including
Canterbury Cathedral stone masons,
Medway Council Senior Conservation
Planning offcer Matt Newton, and
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
staff from Shorncliffe, Brian Simpson
(LMS) and Debbie Norris (SD TFM) and
liaising with Mark Woodley and David
Taylor of Pride. The project was
completed in time for the annual
ceremony in November, which was
attended by the French Naval Attaché.
Modern Commemorations
Two nominations based on the Battle
of Waterloo were submitted for
Sanctuary awards. The first was a new
The second nomination was an
innovative event which involved eight
teenagers using craft materials to
bring to life the many different themes
in the battle. The students, who are
outside mainstream school but within
the ‘Learning for Life Wales’ Program,
were given their own display case to
fill with their own individual models.
‘The Firing Line Museum of the Welsh
Soldier’ contained the display which
encouraged the students to bring
their own skills and ideas to the
project, not only making their own,
but also to allow them to try new
things outside of the school
environment and reducing some of
the barriers that they face in their
everyday lives. The project has not
only benefited the students, but also
the Museum and the wider community.
Chris Daniell
Senior Historic Buildings Advisor
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Poster exhibiting the eight teenagers individual
models, as part of ‘Learning for Life Wales’ Program
© Cardiff Castle Museum
Sanctuary 44 • 2015
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