Things To Do

Tirah Memorial

Bonn Square, Oxford, OX1 1LQ, GB

Rating: 5.0 ★ (8 ratings)

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Standing tall in Oxford's Bonn Square since July 1900, the Tirah Memorial is the city's first free-standing war memorial. This 25-foot high obelisk, crafted from Bath and Doulting stone, commemorates the 62 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry who perished between August 1897 and November 1898 during the Tirah Campaign on the North West Frontier of India, and one who died in Uganda. Designed by Francis Inigo Thomas, more famed for his garden designs, the memorial features a carved wreath with the number '52', representing the battalion's former regimental number. The names of the soldiers, mostly privates along with some officers and buglers, are inscribed on the plinth.

Located at a busy intersection near the Westgate Shopping Centre, Bonn Square itself has a layered history, once serving as the graveyard for St Peter-le-Bailey church before its transformation into a public garden and, more recently, a paved open square. The memorial's foundations, reaching 20 feet deep, even unearthed human remains which were re-interred at Osney Cemetery. Today, Bonn Square, named in 1974 to honour Oxford's twinning with the German city, is a well-used public space, a meeting point, and a thoroughfare that hosts various events. The Tirah Memorial remains a significant Oxford landmark, a poignant reminder of a distant campaign and the sacrifices made.

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Monday: Open 24 hours; Tuesday: Open 24 hours; Wednesday: Open 24 hours; Thursday: Open 24 hours; Friday: Open 24 hours; Saturday: Open 24 hours; Sunday: Open 24 hours

Comments

Chris Gledhill

4 Jan 2026

5.0 ★

The Tirah Memorial in Oxford is a commemorative obelisk honoring the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire Light Infantry who died during the Tirah Campaign (1897-1898) on the North West Frontier of British India. Designed by Francis Inigo Thomas and erected in 1900, it stands 25 feet tall with 20-foot deep foundations, made from Bath stone and based on Doulting stone. It lists the names of those who died, including officers and privates, many from disease rather than combat. The memorial is Oxford's first war monument and is a Grade II listed building, located in Bonn Square, which was once the graveyard of St Peter-le-Bailey parish church. The site was transformed into a public garden in 1874, later named after Oxford's twin town, Bonn, in 1974. The memorial's construction unearthed human remains, which were re-interred at Osney Cemetery. The Tirah Memorial not only marks a significant historical military campaign but also reflects the societal attitudes towards war and remembrance at the turn of the 20th century

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