Machine Gun Corps Memorial

The Machine Gun Corps Memorial stands on a traffic island at Hyde Park Corner in London. It is set beside the Wellington Arch and close to other war memorials. A tall column of light grey marble supports a bronze statue of a nude youth. The statue, called The Boy David, shows the figure in a classical pose with one hand on his hip. On each side of the column are bronze models of Vickers machine guns wreathed in laurels. The memorial was designed by Francis Derwent Wood to honour those who served in the Machine Gun Corps during the First World War. The memorial’s inscriptions list the heavy losses suffered by the Corps. Nearly thirty per cent of its members became casualties, giving it the grim nickname ‘The Suicide Club’. The main column bears a dedication to the heroes who fell in the Great War. Below this is a biblical quotation about David slaying tens of thousands. The plinths record the years of the First World War and the Corps’ brief existence from 1915 to 1922. Visitors find the bronze David standing above the traffic at Hyde Park Corner. The flanking machine guns add a stark reminder of the weapon that defined modern warfare. The memorial’s classical style contrasts with the busy roads around it. The inscriptions provide details of the Corps’ service and sacrifice. The setting among other war memorials creates a place for quiet reflection.