Thiepval Memorial - Vintage version Photograph by Weston Westmoreland

Thiepval Memorial - Vintage version

by Weston Westmoreland

Canvas Print

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Framed Print

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Art Print

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Poster

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Acrylic Print

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Throw Pillow

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Fleece Blanket

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Bath Towel

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Ornament

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Jigsaw Puzzle

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Tote Bag

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Weekender Tote Bag

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Zip Pouch

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Portable Battery Charger

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Yoga Mat

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Greeting Card

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Spiral Notebook

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Sticker

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iPhone Case

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Beach Towel

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Round Beach Towel

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Weekender Tote Bag

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Coffee Mug

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Men's Clothing

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Women's Clothing

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Youth Clothing

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Toddler Clothing

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Baby Clothing

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Title

Thiepval Memorial - Vintage version

Artist

Weston Westmoreland

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Thiepval Memorial. Vintage version.

This memorial was built to honour and remember over 70,000 young men that died and vanished in the few miles that comprised the front during the Battle of the Somme. Not the dead but the disappeared, the ones that died and whose bodies could not be recovered before the war vanished them. I find this so shocking, so astounding, so hard to grasp. This is one of the saddest memorials one can find. The place to remember those who have no place to rest, for the ones their families will never visit. I cant begin to imagine the fear all of them would feel at ending this way, or the pain of the families. And they are so many... All those names.

Some kids appeared when I was there, totally oblivious of where they were, they laughed, run, made noise. My first instinct was to tell them to be more respectful, but then I thought it was alright and did not even wait till they left, so they are in the picture. I think it si fine they do not care. Eventually they will, and some day they will outgrow these men in the graves and understand what they sacrificed. I think the men actually welcome this sort of visit, these bursts of the life that was snatched from them. I would like to hear laughter too.

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to over 70,000 missing British Empire servicemen who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. It is near the village of Thiepval, in France, where a German stronghold stood.

Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is the largest Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing in the world. It was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) in the presence of Albert Lebrun, President of France, on 1 August 1932.

The memorial dominates the rural scene and has 16 brick piers, faced with Portland stone. It is 140 feet high, a complex form of memorial arch, comprising interlocking arches of four sizes. Each side of the main arch is pierced by a smaller arch, orientated at a right angle to the main arch. Each side of each of these smaller arches is then pierced by a still smaller arch and so on. This design results in 16 piers, having 64 stone-panelled sides. Only 48 of these are inscribed, as the panels around the outside of the memorial are blank.

The memorial represents the names of over 72,000 officers and men. The inscription of names on the memorial is reserved for those missing, or unidentified, soldiers who have no known grave. A large inscription on an internal surface of the memorial reads:

"Here are recorded names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields July 1915 February 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death."

On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918. Over 90% of these soldiers died in the first Battle of the Somme between 1 July and 18 November 1916.

Over the years since its inauguration, bodies have been regularly discovered on the former battlefield and are sometimes identified through various means. The decision was taken that to protect the integrity of the memorial as one solely for those who are missing or unidentified, that if a body were found and identified the inscription of their name would be removed from the memorial by filling in the inscription with cement. For those who are found and identified, they are given a funeral with full military honours at a cemetery close to the location at which they were discovered. This practice has resulted in numerous gaps in the lists of names. One wishes the walls would end up blank...

You can learn more about what drives me in my blog:

http://inspiringthoughtsandimages.com/

Weston Westmoreland.