Historical Information (Wikipedia)

The Guards Divisions arrived on the Somme in August 1916 and moved up to take part in the fighting around Ginchy. It attacked and captured the ground surrounding the village on 15th September 1916, and then moved on Lesboeufs which was taken on 25th September. The Guards Division Memorial sits on high ground overlooking the two battlegrounds where the unit fought in 1916 and replaces a wooden cross that stood on the spot during the war. Immediately south of the road was the site of the Quadrilateral; a German strong point that dominated much of the fighting in this area in September 1916.

Standing within a hedged area, this is a simple stone cross, with the inscription “In memory of those officers warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Guards Division who gave their lives to their country in the month of September 1916 in the actions that took place at Ginchy and Lesboeufs“.

On the rear is another inscription, which reads “This memorial replaces the wooden cross erected close to this site immediately after the battles of September 1916.”. The Guards Division memorial was unveiled in October 1928, by Major-General Sir Geoffrey Feilding, who commanded the Guards Division in 1916. Representatives from the Guards, and from the French military were also present, as was the Earl of Cavan, who had commanded the 14th Corps of which the Guards Division was a part.