Calabar Memorial
- Country Nigeria
- Total identified casualties 420 Find these casualties
- Identified casualties from First & Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 4.9641, Longitude: 8.32463
Historical Note
This memorial, unveiled in the early 1920s, was constructed by the British colonial administration to commemorate by name the soldiers of the Nigeria Regiment who died during the First World War. It was officially adopted as a site of commemoration by the IWGC in 1928. At the time of its construction, some of those named on this memorial had identifiable burials, however, the decision was taken to commemorate these men collectively rather than individually at the grave.
You can find more information about historical inequalities in commemoration in our Special Committee’s report.
Location information
The Calabar Memorial is situated in a prominent position in a small park adjacent to the roundabout at the major junction of Barracks Road, Calabar Road, Moor Road and Club Road, about 200 metres from the Millenium monument and close to the sports stadium.
Visiting information
*** April 2021 - Unfortunately the original bronze panels bearing the casualty names on the Calabar Memorial have been reported stolen. Work is currently underway to have these replaced and the casualty names reinstated as soon as is practicably possible***
History information
The Calabar, Ibadan, Lokoja and Zaria Memorials were erected partly by subscription and partly from Nigerian Government funds. They stand at the Headquarters of the different units of the Nigeria Regiment and each is a War Memorial bearing a complete list of war dead on bronze tablets.
The Memorial commemorates 407 casualties of the 3rd Bn. Nigeria Regiment and No.2 Artillery Battery, Nigeria Regiment. It takes the form of a concrete rectangular pillar on a stepped base, flanked by two machine guns captured at Ngwende on the 24 January 1917.