The Cenotaph, Whitehall
A Nation Remembers
A Cenotaph is a memorial, usually a tomb or monument erected to honour a person or a group of people whose body / bodies lay elsewhere. The word Cenotaph comes from the Greek words Kenos, which means empty and taphos meaning tomb.
The End of the Great War
On the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month 1918 the First World War came to an end.
In order to honour the troops and welcome them home, various parades and celebrations were planned around the country. London was set to host the Victory Parade on July 19, 1919. The Cenotaph was originally a temporary wood and plaster structure used to take the Salute in Whitehall during the parade. Following a visit to France, David Lloyd George said, "Our need for a point of homage to stand as a symbol of remembrance worthy of the reverent salute of an Empire mourning its million dead," and he requested a permanent memorial be erected.
Edwin Lutyens, Designer of the Cenotaph
The Cenotaph was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens (March 29, 1869 – Jan. 1, 1944). It was a permanent replica of the temporary structure used to take the salute in 1919. The permanent replica was made by Holland, Hannen and Cubitts and was constructed from Portland stone and unveiled at the original site in Whitehall on Nov. 11, 1920 by His Majesty, King George V at the same time as the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest in Westminster Abby.
Construction of the Cenotaph
The Cenotaph carries no decoration with the exception of a carved laurel wreath designed by sculptor Derwnt Wood at each end of the memorial and is inscribed with the words 'The Glorious Dead'. The Cenotaph weight approximately 120 tons and is 35 feet high. On each side of the Cenotaph there are 3 flagstaffs, each with a crown and laurel wreath at the top. The flags originally flanking the Cenotaph were the Union flag, the white Ensign and The Blue Ensign on one side of the memorial. On the other side flew the Union flag, White Ensign and Red Ensign. This was changed in 1943 when, on April 1 the RAF Ensign replaced the White Ensign on the west side of the monument. The flags were changed for a second time in 2007 when they were replaced with flags representing the Royal Navy, British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy.
The first annual remembrance ceremony took place in 1921 and is now held annually on the closest Sunday to Armistice Day, November 11. Traditionally the Monarch leads the Nation in this simple act of remembrance to remember the fallen of all conflicts.
Sources
- NationalArchives.com
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- BBC History on Line
- BBC News
- BritishLegion.com
- Freebase.com
Poppy Wreath
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Politics & Society
Latest Articles