On November 11th, 1921, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Michael Furze, dedicated the memorial to the men of the Bedfordshire Regiment who had paid the supreme sacrifice in World War One.

The memorial, in the form of an obelisk detailing the achievements of the Beds Regiment between 1914 and 1919 and a shrine preserving the names of over 7,000 of the fallen, was unveiled on Armistice Day 1921 by the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Samuel Howard Whitbread, and his wife.

Thousands of people from around the county, including the Mayors of Luton and Dunstable, paid homage at the shrine and inspected the roll of honour. A laurel wreath was placed on the memorial on behalf of the people of Luton, while the Colonel of the Regiment laid a wreath bearing the regimental colours of black and amber in a central position.

"Bedfordshire has probably never before seen such a gathering of officers and troops all wearing medals and decorations," wrote Luton's Tuesday Pictorial. "There were also large contingents of V.A.D. nurses and other organisations."

At the end of the ceremony came the dipping of the Regimental Colours and the sounding of The Last Post.