Remembrance

There are thousands of war memorials around the country, with almost every town and village having a stone monument, usually inscribed with names of those from the community who gave their lives. Here is a typical one in Ulverston, Cumbria, bearing the names of local people lost in both wars, including some of my mother’s family.

In London, the centre of the nation’s focus is the Cenotaph in Whitehall, where at 11:00 on Sunday the Queen and her government will be joined by representatives of foreign allies, religious and military leaders, for the customary service. Officially, this service pays respect to the dead of both wars, and others since, including the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afganistan, and in other peace-keeping endeavours.

Close by, sitting in a quiet corner of the busy Hyde Park Corner roundabout, is the Australian War memorial. It is in the form of a long curved wall of stone and marks the 100,000 who died in the two world wars. The face is inscribed with the towns in Australia from which the fallen came, and the battles in which they lost their lives.

Designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and artist Janet Laurence

http://www.tzg.com.au/projects/aus-war-memorial

Australian War memorial website: http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/