War is cruel. Many die defending ideas, and nations. And so it's only natural that all civilizations have ways to honour their dead. London is full of Cenotaph's , tombs in honour of those who died elsewhere , who perished in alien lands, mostly during World Wars 1 and 2. Most boroughs (neighbourhoods) have one for the locals who served during the war.
Among the ones I've seen here, my favourite would be the one erected in honour of the women who fought in World War 2. A 22 feet poignant reminder in Whitehall of the hardships of the time and those who rose in response to it. What I so loved about this , was not just that it honoured the brave soldier, but also women who soldiered on in other aspects of life.. Doctors, Factory workers, emergency services; The little Handbags left dangling says it could have been any one of us.. The statuettes are attired in Working women's clothes, bronze metaphors to the 7 million odd women who worked in service of the country then. It was unveiled in 2005 , to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the war
- Meena Venkataraman
Among the ones I've seen here, my favourite would be the one erected in honour of the women who fought in World War 2. A 22 feet poignant reminder in Whitehall of the hardships of the time and those who rose in response to it. What I so loved about this , was not just that it honoured the brave soldier, but also women who soldiered on in other aspects of life.. Doctors, Factory workers, emergency services; The little Handbags left dangling says it could have been any one of us.. The statuettes are attired in Working women's clothes, bronze metaphors to the 7 million odd women who worked in service of the country then. It was unveiled in 2005 , to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the war
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| The Cenotaph @Whitehall |
Where is the like button? :)
ReplyDeleteKids these days... *Shakes head in disbelief*...
ReplyDeleteSoo facebook spoilt :D
Very interesting! And totally appreciate the concept! And finally, I am so happy to see these statues clean and sparkling. In India, nobody seems to care about our political history.
ReplyDeleteStriking memorial, and very apt. Still, wondering about them and not being able to match faces to names (or to no names) tells a story by itself, that there're countless who served and sacrificed. A humbling thought really.
ReplyDeleteThis was so interesting to know. I particularly liked the "the little handbags left dangling says..." part. I remember seeing this film 'Maya Lin' - it was about the design of the Vietnam War memorial. The film itself was so wonderfully done and about a most moving tale.
ReplyDelete@Shankara - thanks very true :) . Also think the overdose of memorials in India could be a culprit in itself rendering them meaningless in some ways ? Wat say?
ReplyDelete@Anil - Thats true . Think they kept it that way so that its a fitting tribute to everyone who served and not anyone in particular
ReplyDelete@IB - Thanks :). Should catch the movie you mentioned
ReplyDeleteI have seen so little of London :( Missed this one.
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