Alamein Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alamein Memorial |
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| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
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| For land force soldiers of the Commonwealth who died in the campaigns in Egypt, Libya and in the operations of the Eighth Army in Tunisia up to 19 February 1943, and airmen of the Commonwealth who died in the campaigns in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Greece, Crete and the Aegean, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Somalilands, the Sudan, East Africa, Aden and Madagascar, and in service of the Rhodesian and South African Air Training Scheme and have no known grave. | |
| Unveiled | 24 October 1954 |
| Location | near
El Alamein, Egypt
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| Designed by | Hubert Worthington |
| Commemorated | 11,866 |
| Statistics source: Cemetery details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. | |
The Alamein Memorial is a special place in El Alamein, Egypt. It is a war memorial built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. This memorial honors 11,866 soldiers and airmen. These brave people were from the Commonwealth countries. They died during World War II and have no known grave. The memorial was designed by Hubert Worthington. It was officially opened on October 24, 1954. Viscount Montgomery of Alamein unveiled it.
Contents
What the Alamein Memorial Honors
This memorial remembers many different groups of service members. It covers various areas where they fought.
Honoring Land Forces
For soldiers who fought on land, the memorial mainly remembers those who died. They fought in the Western Desert campaign. This campaign took place in Egypt and Libya. It also includes soldiers who died in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. All these soldiers have no known grave. This means their bodies were never found or identified.
Remembering Airmen
For airmen, the memorial honors those who died in many places. These include Egypt, Libya, and Syria. It also covers Lebanon, Iraq, and Greece. Other areas are Crete and the Aegean Sea. Airmen from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the Somalilands are also remembered. The memorial includes those from the Sudan, East Africa, Aden, and Madagascar. It also honors airmen from the Rhodesian and South African Air Training Scheme. All these airmen also have no known grave.
Design of the Memorial
The Alamein Memorial stands next to the El Alamein War Cemetery. This cemetery holds the graves of many soldiers. They died during the Western Desert Campaign.
Adapting Design for Africa
When Hubert Worthington designed the memorial, he used ideas from World War I memorials. But he changed them to fit the African climate. The desert environment is very different from Europe.
Special Features for the Desert
Worthington added tall walls to the memorial. These walls help keep out the blowing sand. He also included shelters to provide shade from the hot sun. Instead of European plants, he used succulents. These are plants like cacti that can live in dry places. This helped the memorial fit its desert home.
