Jim’s War Memorials & Statues Walk – 17th October 2010
On a sunny autumnal day in October we met at Trafalgar Square for Jim’s War Memorials and Statues walk. I was initially not really interested in the ideas of looking at a bunch of war statues but it was a nice day, and the company would be good so I gave it a try.
How wrong I was; it was great. Jim’s commentary and opinions, based on detailed knowledge and research as well as his own experiences, turned what could have been a dull tour of statues into a fascinating walk. As we looked at each monument, we explored the history and changes in ideas and feelings about war.
We began with the glorification of war, exemplified by Nelson’s Column, and then, by contrast, we looked at the memorial statue to Edith Cavell. Here we began making links with today’s issues, especially the power of the media in war. What was the true story? Was she spy or martyr – or both? How was her story used to justify or condemn atrocities? Does history ever really change? Have things changed? These questions echoed throughout the walk.
We were given a puzzle to solve at Admiralty Arch when asked to find the hidden nose, either to tweak or to touch with respect – if on a horse! (Don’t want to give too much away here.)
Jim’s favourite monument - though he is a bit biased - came next in Horse Guards Parade: a monument to the Royal Naval Division, precursor – perhaps - to the Marines. We walked along the Mall, through Green Park and on to Hyde Park Corner, looking at a variety of monuments and considering how they made us feel today as well as trying to think about what they represented when they had been built.
Eventually the mood changed quite dramatically as we studied the memorials to the First World War when the horrors of war began to subtly creep in to the memorials. The emphasis changed from commemorating victories and campaigns to remembering the dead and fallen. Comparing the Machine Gun Corps Memorial (“glorious heroes”) to the Royal Artillery Memorial (“in proud remembrance of those who gave their lives”) was particularly poignant for me, contrasting the neutrality of the killing machines with the real impact on individual human beings.
A more modern memorial in Hyde Park was a tribute to animals used in warfare and discussion about the ways in which they still are used; however, we couldn’t find the glow worm.
After lunch we went to see the statue of General Foch near Victoria Station, and then on to Whitehall to meet Field Marshall Earl Haig, debating their relative merits and reputations. We finished our reflections on the First World War with a visit to the Cenotaph, probably one of the best known war memorials in the world. Although specifically commemorating victims of the First World War, it is now seen as a memorial to all the servicemen and women who have died in all British wars.
Jim finally took us to see the Monument to the Women of World War II – possibly as a brief taster for his next military walk. However, he has now been persuaded to do a repeat of this one first so if you didn’t make it last time – do it the next.
Pam Fleisch – November 2010
im’s War Memorials & Statues Walk – 17th October 2010
On a sunny autumnal day in October we met at Trafalgar Square for Jim’s War Memorials and Statues walk. I was initially not really interested in the ideas of looking at a bunch of war statues but it was a nice day, and the company would be good so I gave it a try.
How wrong I was; it was great. Jim’s commentary and opinions, based on detailed knowledge and research as well as his own experiences, turned what could have been a dull tour of statues into a fascinating journey walk. As we looked at each monument, we explored the history and changes in ideas and feelings about war.
We began with the glorification of war, exemplified by Nelson’s Column, and then, by contrast, we looked at the memorial statue to Edith Cavell. Here we began making links with today’s issues, especially the power of the media in war. What was the true story? Was she spy or martyr – or both? How was her story used to justify or condemn atrocities? Does history ever really change? Have things changed? These questions echoed throughout the walk.
We were given a puzzle to solve at Admiralty Arch when asked to find the hidden nose, either to tweak or to touch with respect – if on a horse! (Don’t want to give too much away here.)
Jim’s favourite monument - though he is a bit biased - came next in Horse Guards Parade: a monument to the Royal Naval Division, precursor – perhaps - to the Marines. We walked along the Mall, through Green Park and on to Hyde Park Corner, looking at a variety of monuments and considering how they made us feel today as well as trying to think about what they represented when they had been built.
Eventually the mood changed quite dramatically as we studied the memorials to the First World War when the horrors of war began to subtly creep in to the memorials. The emphasis changed from commemorating victories and campaigns to remembering the dead and fallen. Comparing the Machine Gun Corps Memorial (“glorious heroes”) to the Royal Artillery Memorial (“in proud remembrance of those who gave their lives”) was particularly poignant for me, contrasting the neutrality of the killing machines with the real impact on individual human beings.
A more modern memorial in Hyde Park was a tribute to animals used in warfare and discussion about the ways in which they still are used; however, we couldn’t find the glow worm.
After lunch we went to see the statue of General Foch near Victoria Station, and then on to Whitehall to meet Field Marshall Earl Haig, debating their relative merits and reputations. We finished our reflections on the First World War with a visit to the Cenotaph, probably one of the best known war memorials in the world. Although specifically commemorating victims of the First World War, it is now seen as a memorial to all the servicemen and women who have died in all British wars.
Jim finally took us to see the Monument to the Women of World War II – possibly as a brief taster for his next military walk. However, he has now been persuaded to do a repeat of this one first so if you didn’t make it last time – do it the next.
Pam Fleisch – November 2010