It has long been recognised that there has been no single war memorial to commemorate the fallen from the Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps. 

Although some Regiments have their own memorials and, more recently, the National Memorial Arboretum was constructed to commemorate all those service personnel who had lost their lives while on duty, there was no bespoke memorial for the Corps and specifically for those who had lost their lives since 1945.

Using the opportunity presented by the rebuilding of the Tank Museum, DRAC decided in 2006 to commission a Memorial which would not only serve as a focal point for the Royal Armoured Corps but also reinforce to the public visiting the Museum the sacrifices still being made today by those serving in our Regiments. 

After broad and thorough consultations it was decided to include upon the memorial the names of all those members of our Regiments who had lost their lives since 1945 while serving in a medal earning theatre. 

The new Memorial was inaugurated on 11th November 2008 in a Ceremony of Dedication conducted by the Garrison Padre and the Deputy Chaplain General. This was attended by 300 guests, with every Regiment in the Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps represented by serving and retired officers and soldiers. 

In addition, and as the main focus of the ceremony, 103 relatives of those commemorated were present.  The event was a resounding success, enjoying glorious weather and concluding with a reception and lunch for 307 in the new Tank Museum extension.

A visit to the Memorial when next passing through Bovington is greatly to be  encouraged.  There are 303 soldiers commemorated on it and, poignantly, two of their names had to be added while the Memorial was being constructed. 

Sincere thanks are due to the Royal Armoured Corps War Memorial Benevolent Fund and the Regimental Charitable Trusts for funding this project, a fitting and entirely appropriate tribute to our fallen.