Brighton War Memorial

Brighton War Memorial is a First World War memorial in Brighton, on the south coast of England. Designed by John William Simpson, it stands in Old Steine Gardens, close to the Royal Pavilion and multiple other monuments. Recruitment to the armed forces was strong in Brighton, and many of the town's public buildings, including the pavilion, were converted into hospitals. The first casualties to arrive were from the local Royal Sussex Regiment, but Brighton came to be associated with Indian soldiers. Around 12,000 Indians were treated in the Pavilion and other makeshift hospitals in Brighton and 74 died. A subcommittee of the borough council directly approached Simpson, a national architect with local roots, to design a memorial. Simpson's proposal was displayed in the local art gallery while funds were raised by public subscription. The design is based on a Roman water garden and consists of a colonnade (row of columns) at the head of a reflecting pool, flanked by two pylons (pillars) which contain the names of the dead. In the middle of the pool is a fountain and in the centre of the colonnade is a classical temple-shaped screen which contains the main dedications. The rear face of the screen contains an altar table. The memorial was unveiled on 7 October 1922 by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty. Other memorials were built to commemorate the pavilion's role as a hospital and the Indian soldiers who died in the town. The site is close to the Egyptian Campaign Memorial (1888) and a modern memorial to casualties from later conflicts. The First World War monument is a Grade II listed building.