lookfar
12-10-2007, 10:45 AM
Just came across this on the BBC News site & thought it had interesting symbology. It was largely funded by the National Lottery, cost circa £6mn & the opening ceremony is today.
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/17/memorial1aa2.jpg
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6470/memorialkw6.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9308/memstepsbh8.jpg
Queen to Dedicate Forces Memorial
The memorial was designed by architect Liam O'Connor
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales are due to dedicate the new national Armed Forces Memorial to those who have died since World War II. The huge £6m stone circle in Alrewas, Staffordshire, bears the names of 16,000 service personnel.
The names of the men and women, killed in combat and training as well as in acts of terrorism, have been carved onto the memorial's walls.
The royal party will be joined by politicians including PM Gordon Brown.
There is room for 15,000 more names to be carved on the Portland stone walls of the memorial, at the National Memorial Arboretum.
"The magnificence of this new memorial will, at long last, provide a fitting recognition for all those killed on duty since the end of the Second World War" Prince Charles
The royal party, which includes the Duchess of Cornwall, will hear prayers for the dead by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
They will then tour the memorial, designed by architect Liam O'Connor, before meeting the families of service personnel.
Prince Charles said the people of the UK owed those whose names featured on the memorial "an enormous debt of gratitude".
"The magnificence of this new memorial will, at long last, provide a fitting recognition for all those killed on duty since the end of the Second World War," he said.
We are now in the position in this country of having a memorial which will bring home to many the total scale of the sacrifices and commitment
Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup
"It does not differentiate between those killed in the heat of battle or on a training exercise, by terrorist action or on peace-keeping missions."
As the Queen tours the monument, she will pause by the name of her cousin, Earl Mountbatten, killed by a Provisional IRA bomb in 1979.
The memorial will open to visitors on 29 October.
'Extremely proud'
The most senior officer in the military said the memorial will serve as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices being made.
Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it is a chance for the British public to reconnect with the military.
"I think there is no doubt that the British public is extremely proud of its armed forces," Sir Jock said.
"It is equally important that the public understand and support the armed forces, not just in themselves, but in what they do."
Sir Jock said with post-war military deaths more likely to come in "ones, twos and fours", it has become harder for the public to collectively appreciate those losses.
"I am delighted that we are now in the position in this country of having a memorial which will bring home to many the total scale of the sacrifices and commitment that people in the armed forces have made," he said.
Article taken from here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7040801.stm
More info on the Armed Forces Memorial Appeal & architect Liam O'Connor here (http://www.forcesmemorial.org.uk/the-memorial-project/the-memorial/interview-liam.asp)
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/17/memorial1aa2.jpg
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6470/memorialkw6.jpg
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9308/memstepsbh8.jpg
Queen to Dedicate Forces Memorial
The memorial was designed by architect Liam O'Connor
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales are due to dedicate the new national Armed Forces Memorial to those who have died since World War II. The huge £6m stone circle in Alrewas, Staffordshire, bears the names of 16,000 service personnel.
The names of the men and women, killed in combat and training as well as in acts of terrorism, have been carved onto the memorial's walls.
The royal party will be joined by politicians including PM Gordon Brown.
There is room for 15,000 more names to be carved on the Portland stone walls of the memorial, at the National Memorial Arboretum.
"The magnificence of this new memorial will, at long last, provide a fitting recognition for all those killed on duty since the end of the Second World War" Prince Charles
The royal party, which includes the Duchess of Cornwall, will hear prayers for the dead by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
They will then tour the memorial, designed by architect Liam O'Connor, before meeting the families of service personnel.
Prince Charles said the people of the UK owed those whose names featured on the memorial "an enormous debt of gratitude".
"The magnificence of this new memorial will, at long last, provide a fitting recognition for all those killed on duty since the end of the Second World War," he said.
We are now in the position in this country of having a memorial which will bring home to many the total scale of the sacrifices and commitment
Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup
"It does not differentiate between those killed in the heat of battle or on a training exercise, by terrorist action or on peace-keeping missions."
As the Queen tours the monument, she will pause by the name of her cousin, Earl Mountbatten, killed by a Provisional IRA bomb in 1979.
The memorial will open to visitors on 29 October.
'Extremely proud'
The most senior officer in the military said the memorial will serve as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices being made.
Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it is a chance for the British public to reconnect with the military.
"I think there is no doubt that the British public is extremely proud of its armed forces," Sir Jock said.
"It is equally important that the public understand and support the armed forces, not just in themselves, but in what they do."
Sir Jock said with post-war military deaths more likely to come in "ones, twos and fours", it has become harder for the public to collectively appreciate those losses.
"I am delighted that we are now in the position in this country of having a memorial which will bring home to many the total scale of the sacrifices and commitment that people in the armed forces have made," he said.
Article taken from here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7040801.stm
More info on the Armed Forces Memorial Appeal & architect Liam O'Connor here (http://www.forcesmemorial.org.uk/the-memorial-project/the-memorial/interview-liam.asp)