Maidstone in Kent, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Photographed by Ray Gurganus, March 30, 2025
1. 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Marker
15 December 1915 men of the 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment were among 14,586 British and Indian troops besieged in the town of Kut-el-Almara, Mesopotamia.
The Garrison surrendered on 29 April 1916. 1,025 men had died in the siege from enemy action and 721 from disease or starvation. In captivity the survivors were force-marched northward, starved and beaten. That exodus became known as the 'Death March', now long forgotten.
This plaque is dedicated to the memory of those besieged.
"They shall not return to us, the resolute, the young,
The eager and wholehearted whom we gave:
But the men who left them thriftily to die in the own dung,
Shall they come with years and honour to the grave?"
-- Rudyard Kipling
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is April 29, 1916.
Location. 51° 16.691′ N, 0° 31.306′ E. Memorial is in Maidstone, England, in Kent. It can be reached from Victoria Parade. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 5 Victoria Parade, Maidstone, England ME14 1RG, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the Greater South East. Globally, it is in the Atlantic Ocean, in the North Atlantic Region, in Europe, in Atlantic Europe, on one of the British Isles, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sessions Square & Maidstone Prison (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Brenchley Gardens (about 120 meters away, measured
this page online
Also see . . . Siege of Kut (Wikipedia). Overview:
The siege of Kut Al Amara (7 December 1915 29 April 1916), also known as the first battle of Kut, was the besieging of an 8,000-strong British-Indian Army garrison in the town of Kut, 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. In 1915, its population was around 6,500. Following the surrender of the garrison on 29 April 1916, the survivors of the siege were marched to imprisonment at Aleppo, during which many died. Historian Christopher Catherwood has called the siege "the worst defeat of the Allies in World War I". Ten months later, the British Indian Army, consisting almost entirely of newly recruited troops from Western India, conquered Kut, Baghdad and other regions in between in the fall of Baghdad.(Submitted on July 28, 2025.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 84 times since then and 12 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on July 28, 2025, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. photo of the marker within its surroundings • Can you help?
