Lost and found
A rediscovery of Imperial's World War memorials
The WW2 tablet in the Bessemer Building storage facility, discovered during renovation works.
The WW2 tablet in the Bessemer Building storage facility, discovered during renovation works.
After 52 years, the Royal College of Science (RCS) has rediscovered an old war memorial that commemorates those who lost their lives during World War Two (WW2).
The incredible discovery was made in the bowels of the Bessemer Building, where the 120-kilogram marble tablet was found, gathering dust in a storage facility. The tablet was thought to be lost, alongside its companion World War One (WW1) memorial, when much of the Royal College of Science (RCS) building was demolished in the 1970’s.
The stones were lost and presumed destroyed in the process.
Buoyed by the incredible find, the RCS Association (RCSA) and the Faculty of Natural Sciences have funded the restoration of the WW2 stone, and the recreation of the still-missing WW1 memorial.
The Royal College of Science (RCS) traces its origins to 1881 when the Normal School of Science was established with the goal of advancing science education and training science teachers.
In 1904, the Board of Education report advocated for the unification of the RCS, Royal School of Mines, and the City & Guilds under the banner of a single institution. By 1907, after detailed negotiations, the merger culminated in the founding of Imperial College London.
The RCS’ legacy can still be felt today in its existing branches for alumni and students. Author of ‘War of the Worlds’, H.G. Wells was the first president of the RCSA, the alumni group for the RCS.
In past years, the RCSA laid a wreath on a lithograph banner depicting the original war memorials. Every Armistice Day, the lithograph – provided by Anne Barrett of the university's Archives and Corporate Records Unit – was used as a substitute for missing stones.
“Since 1973, we’ve had the slightly uncomfortable situation where wreathes have been laid on the Royal College of Mines and the City and Guilds memorials, but we have no RCS tablets to speak of,” Mike Munroe, President of the RCSA said.
Lithograph banners using a digitised scan of the original memorials were used as a substitute for the missing tablets.
Lithograph banners using a digitised scan of the original memorials were used as a substitute for the missing tablets.
Efforts were already underway in 2018 to have both memorials recreated by a stonemason, using historical photographs and documents. Mike worked alongside Imperial’s archival team and RCSA Deputy President Jim Sarsfield, who shared a passion for documenting Imperial’s long institutional history.
However, due to disruptions posed by COVID and a lack of secured funding, the RCSA team was forced to drop the project. “But then earlier this year, Anne Barrett got in touch with us and told us about the discovery,” Mike said, “That really gave us renewed energy to find a stonemason skilled enough to restore the WW2 memorial and to create a historically faithful replica of the WW1 tablet.”
President of the RCS, Mike Munroe, placing a wreath on the newly installed memorials.
President of the RCS, Mike Munroe, placing a wreath on the newly installed memorials.
With funding from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial, the RCSA worked with MS-Group Limited, an expert stone masonry company based in Wales that specialised in conservation stone services.
The stonemasonry team worked over the summer and autumn of 2024 on the project, and the new tablets were installed at the beginning of November in the entrance archway of what remains of the RCS Building – otherwise known as RCS1 or the Old Chemistry Building.
Finding the WW2 tablet not only removed the need to create two entirely new memorials, but it also provided vital clues about the original material used in the missing stone tablet.
“When we first looked at it, we ascertained that it was a limestone of some sort, possibly Portland or Purbeck, but after carefully cleaning it, we saw that the material was actually nabresina, an Italian limestone,” Simon Morgan, the CEO of MS-Group Limited, said.
Nabresina limestone, or Pietra Di Nabresina, has a unique beige colour and shell texture. “It varies depends on which part of the quarry it comes from and the way the slabs are cut. Sometimes you can cut half a dozen slabs and it doesn’t look quite right,” Simon said.
He believes that the stonemasons have likely managed to source a replacement stone from the same quarry that the original memorials used 60 years ago.
Archival documents of the originals were digitised and used to recreate the hand-carved engravings on the WW1 tablet, which was around three times the size of its WW2 counterpart. Anne said that the project speaks to the value of thorough archival work. “We keep material in order for it to be used. It keeps the history alive,” she said, “As a team, we don’t really sit in the past. Everything we do looks towards the future.”
The discovery of the WW2 tablet, prompted other searches for missing WW1 memorial. Unfortunately, thorough searches of the South Kensington campus have turned up empty-handed. “Sadly, I think we can safely say that the WW1 memorial is lost for good," Mike said.
The missing tablet was designed by British architect Trenwith Wills, who himself had served in the Army in Egypt during WW1. The memorial was commissioned using student and alumni subscriptions to the RCSA.
Back at home at last
The new memorials were installed on Saturday 2 November, and a wreath-laying ceremony was held on the 11 November on Armistice Day.
Remembering those lost
Armistice Day is a day of remembrance for those who die in conflict, both past and present. Many Imperial students and staff died during both World Wars. These are a few of their stories.
William Watson (1868-1919)
As director of the Central Laboratory for the British Expeditionary Force, established in 1915, William Watson played a crucial role in protecting British soldiers from the horrors of chemical warfare.
Despite the constant hazards of his work, Watson's dedication never wavered, though it ultimately took a toll on his health. He died at the age of 50 after frequent exposure to toxic gases.
Watson began his academic journey at the Royal College of Science, excelling in physics and securing a BSc in 1890. His career in academia began swiftly as he took up a demonstrator role at the College and later ascended to an assistant professorship in 1897. Recognised for his expertise, Watson was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1901, eventually becoming a professor at the Imperial College of Science and Technology.
Early in his career, Watson contributed significantly to the magnetic survey of the British Isles, establishing himself as one of the more precise observers. His research spanned various fields, including magnetic properties of liquids and the earth’s magnetic field, producing results that remain influential today.
In addition to his research, Watson was a gifted educator. His ‘Textbook of Physics’ became a vital resource for students, admired for its clarity and insightful experimental demonstrations. His lectures were well-attended by his eager students.
Cecil Brannon Payne (1897-1917)
Cecil Brannon Payne, born in September 1897, was a bright young man who attended the Royal College of Science.
In the middle of his studies, the war broke out. Driven by a sense of duty, he joined the Royal Field Artillery, serving for seven months in France and eventually becoming the Aide-de-Camp to General Whitby.
Despite his initial role in the RFA, Payne transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, where he became a Second Lieutenant in the 21st Squadron. He joined the Allied forces during a brutal period on the Western Front, with the Ypres Salient – a deadly battleground shaped by previous battles – still in turmoil.
By 1917, the Allies launched a massive offensive in the Third Battle of Ypres, hoping to weaken German forces and relieve pressure on their French allies. This campaign, known for its unyielding resistance and terrible weather, would become one of the bloodiest and most gruelling of the war.
On August 20, 1917, at the age of just 19, Payne volunteered for a reconnaissance mission over the Ypres Salient. While returning from the mission, his plane was ambushed by a squadron of 21 enemy bombers. The young aviator was killed in the skies over St Julien, Belgium.
Ernest Lee (1886-1915)
Ernest Lee was a British botanist, a teacher and a promising investigator. He died in the trenches of the Western Front on July 10, 1915.
He was born on April 11, 1886 in Yorkshire before his parents relocated to Burnley. As a young man, Ernest worked during the day but still attended the evening classes at Burnley Technical Institute where he developed a deep interest in the natural sciences.
After being rewarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Science in London, his enthusiasm for biology took root, and he was awarded a First Class in the A.R.C.Sc. examination in 1909 and also received the Edward Forbes Medal and Prize in Botany and a Marshall Scholarship.
He published papers on seedling anatomy, before becoming a Fellow of the Linnean Society and a member of the British Ecological Society.
Ernest became machine-gun officer during the war, and was quickly promoted to a gazetted lieutenant. Already at the time of his death he had been specially marked for further promotion.
A year before he died, he married a fellow botanist – Miss H. S. Chambers, who was a lecturer at Royal Holloway College.
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