Christ Church
Shooters Hill
Look for the Ypres Milestone found behind the Christ Church hedge, adjacent to the footpath alongside Shooters Hill and read the inscription.
One panel reads '8 miles to London Bridge', the other: '130 miles to Ypres. In defending the Salient our casualties were 90,000 killed, 70,500 missing, 410,000 wounded', in commemoration of the many who lost their lives there in the First World War.
This distance was carefully computed as on the arc of a great circle by the then Director-General of the Ordnance Survey, Colonel Sir C F. Close. It is exact to within one-tenth of a mile. The figures of the casualties are from official sources and are confined to the ground covered between Hollebeke and the right flank of the Belgian Line.
The milestone was originally stationed across the road but during road works it was broken in two by a steam roller and the plates were destroyed. The then Vicar, the Reverend Dr T B Willson, removed the fragments into the church grounds, where it was repaired by Joseph Randall, and set up near the church door. When the Memorial cross was erected, the stone was moved to its present position and the plate renewed with the new wording under the direction of Mr Bagnold, secretary of the local war memorial committee.