Qualla: Midland Railway War Memorial

Midland Railway War Memorial: Introduction

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit TenthEagle, CC BY-SA 3.0. There is a step at the base of the Midland Railway War Memorial in Derby that exists solely so children can read the names. Edwin Lutyens designed it that way. The memorial commemorates 2,833 employees of one company, the Midland Railway, who died serving in the British armed forces in the First World War, and when it was unveiled on 15 December 1921 the company chose not to invite the bereaved families. There was, the railway said, not enough room for everyone. Instead they offered free travel passes to Derby for anyone who wanted to come later, alone, and find their name. The step is there so the smallest visitor can find the right plaque.

Image: TenthEagle | CC BY-SA 3.0

Midland Railway War Memorial: A Railway Town's Reckoning

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit John Sutton, CC BY-SA 2.0. In the early twentieth century Derby was a railway town in a way few places have ever been a company town. The Midland Railway had its headquarters here, more comprehensively rooted than any other British railway company in any other city, and at the turn of the century it employ...

Image: John Sutton | CC BY-SA 2.0

Midland Railway War Memorial: Lutyens and the Beautiful Death

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit SmileyRose, CC BY-SA 3.0. Edwin Lutyens was the most prolific architect of British First World War commemoration. He designed the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme, and dozens of smaller cenotaphs across England. The Midland Railway memorial is one of his early provincial works, an...

Image: SmileyRose | CC BY-SA 3.0

Midland Railway War Memorial: Why the Soldier Is High

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Janet Roberts from UK, CC BY-SA 2.0. The most studied design choice in the memorial is the soldier's position. Lutyens placed him at the top of the cenotaph rather than at eye level, deliberately too high to see clearly. The greatcoat is pulled across his face. The bayonet rests next to him. The official reading is ...

Image: Janet Roberts from UK | CC BY-SA 2.0

Midland Railway War Memorial: The Unveiling and the Book

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Compro, Public domain. Charles Booth, chairman of the Midland Railway, unveiled the memorial on 15 December 1921, with a dedication given by Edwyn Hoskyns, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. The Midland also commissioned a book of remembrance, and a personalised copy was sent to the family of every ma...

Image: Compro | Public domain

Midland Railway War Memorial: Stolen and Returned

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Harry Mitchell, CC BY-SA 3.0. In August 2010 several of the bronze plaques bearing the names of the dead were ripped off the screen wall by metal thieves. The plaques were recovered within days, the thief apologised publicly to the people of Derby after his arrest, and the memorial was repaired. The British L...

Image: Harry Mitchell | CC BY-SA 3.0