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Civil Service Rifles War Memorial

The Civil Service Rifles War Memorial is a First World War memorial located at Somerset House in London, England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1924, the memorial commemorates the 1,240 members of the Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles regiment killed in the war. The memorial takes the form of a rectangular column surmounted by a sculpture of an urn and flanked by painted stone flags, a feature seen in other memorials by Lutyens. A scroll of the names of the fallen was placed inside the memorial. Those who served in the regiment were Territorial Force reservists, drawn largely from the British Civil Service with many staff based in Somerset House. The memorial was initially located in the quadrangle, which had been used by the regiment as a parade ground. It was later moved to the riverside terrace and rededicated in 2002. Upgraded to Grade II* listed-building status in 2015, it forms part of a national collection of war memorials by Lutyens. (Full article...)

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On this day

January 27

Mahamane Ousmane
Mahamane Ousmane
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Two Indian pied mynas

The Indian pied myna (Gracupica contra) is a species of starling found in the Indian subcontinent, with a principal distribution from the Gangetic plains extending south to the Krishna River. This range has increased in recent times, with populations established in Pakistan, western India and also Dubai. The spread has been aided by changes in irrigation and farming patterns and accidental escape of caged birds. The Indian pied myna is found mainly in lowland open areas with scattered trees near water, often near human habitation, but also inhabits areas up to around 700 metres (2,300 ft) in altitude. It has a black-and-white plumage with a yellowish bill and a reddish bill base. This pair of Indian pied mynas was photographed outside the city of Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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