Statues in London - Military men

Many of the statues you will see will be of military leaders from the Victorian era. Largely ignored these days, the statues serve as a reminder of the bloody history of the British Empire.

It is interesting to note that, as times change, some of these heroes of the past would today be treated as war criminals.

Robert Clive
took the first military action in what was to become 'British India', the starting point of an Empire which was to last 150 years.		 John Burgoyne
led the British forces in America against George Washington's Revolutionary army.		 Duke of York
Founder of Sandhurst military training college. He led British forces against the French Revolutionary army.		 Horatio Nelson
commanded the British fleet against the French and Spanish at Trafalgar.		 Duke of Wellington
in a coalition with the Prussian commander Blücher, led the fighting against the French at Waterloo and ended the political and military career of Napoleon Bonaparte. King Louis XVIII is restored to the French throne.		 Charles Napier
led British troops in Sindh (now part of Pakistan)

Henry Havelock
led British forces in India		 Colin Campbell
served in India		 Frederick Roberts
served in India, Africa, Canada and Afganistan as the British Empire continues to expand		 Garnet Wolseley
was despatched to trouble spots around the world, including India, Africa and Crimea		 James Outram
served in India at the time of the Indian Rebellion

Gordon
contributed to the Imperial war effort in China and North Africa.		 Duke of Cambridge
grandson of King George III, fought at Crimea, a war against the rival Russian empire.		 Jan Smuts
was commander of the British Army in East Africa.		 Kitchener
served in South Africa and was the face on the 1st World War poster: 'Your Country Needs You'.		 Earl Haig
oversaw the loss of hundreds of thousands of men in Northern Europe during the First World War.

William Slim
commanded forces in North Africa and Burma during the 2nd World War.		 Alan Brooke
became military advisor to Winston Churchill.		 Hugh Trenchard
was largely responsible for the setting up of the Royal Air Force. Early pilots had a life expectancy of about 3 weeks.		 Hugh Dowding
led Fighter Command in the 2nd World War.		 Arthur Harris
is notorious for the saturation bombing of cities during the 2nd World War.		 Mountbatten
led forces in Burma and Malaya.		 Montgomery
led forces in North Africa and Italy.


More statues | Home page