Guest Hill 60 Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 After Trenchwalkers 'Favourite Memorial' thread, how about the Worst Memorials? I vote the war memorial in my old home town of Cholsey, Berkshire......sorry, I mean Oxfordshire, damn those boundary changes The memorial in question is on the village green (sorry I didn't bother to waste film on this one) and was erected in the last couple of years. It is square (ish), concrete colour, 3' high, with a sloping top and the wording is similar to 'In Memory of the Men and Women of Cholsey who died in service of their country'. There isn't even a list of casualties, even though St. Mary's, the local church, has at least 4 Cholsey WWI casualties (as well as Agatha Christie, but she doesn't count!) buried there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 I do not like the Piper Memorial at Longueval and in general, am against new ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 The town "war memorial" in Burnley, Lancashire is basically a grey stone slab, loosely based (though it's shorter) on the CWGC stone of remembrance.This is located in a so-called "peace garden", basically a patch of grass about the size of a goal mouth. One word that describes it, in my view, is "insulting". What's annoying about this is that there's a beautiful memorial that once was the town memorial located in the grounds of nearby Towneley Hall depicting statues of a soldier,sailor and airman with other decorations.This overlooks a "reflecting pool" (now dry) and is located in some lovely woodland. There is a movement in town at the moment to try and re-obtain this memorial's recognition and ,in fact, ceremonies have begun to be held here again by certain groups and individuals (esp. the Korean Veterans who have been shunned in the past from the "official" ceremonies). Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 20th (Light) Division memorial at Langemarck is a rather sad affair that looks as through it was done on the cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedley Malloch Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 I do not like the Piper Memorial at Longueval and in general, am against new ones. I agree. He looks like every choleric, alcholically-challenged Scotsman I ever knew. And that's quite a few. If statues could speak he would say "See you, Jimmy" But I can forgive all that. It's a matter of interpretation. The worst for me is at Saltburn-by-the-Sea. As a piece of sculpture it's not a bad memorial. But the inscription recalls how all those named upon it 'died for England'. There are Welsh, Irish and Scots names on the memorial - but they died for England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andy Kellett Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 I would also have to vote for the Piper at Longueval. It looks like it was made from a giant jelly mould. It is a positive eyesore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 29 September , 2003 Share Posted 29 September , 2003 For me it is the set of slabs dedicated to Walter Tull at Northampton Town Football Club's Sixfields Stadium. However, it is a moot point as to whether this is a memorial or a statement about racism. Either way, it is embarrassingly ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 30 September , 2003 Share Posted 30 September , 2003 The memorial to the workers killed in the bombing of the BSA factory in Birmingham in World War II was a masterpiece of appalling municipal sculpture. (On a par with the dreadful object in the middle of the Broodseinde Roundabout) Having said that, the Spitfire Memorial at Castle Bromwich is very good. Birmingham Council have never bothered to put up a memorial to the 1974 Pub Bombing victims, but that's another story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 30 September , 2003 Share Posted 30 September , 2003 The Cenotaph in Carlisle is stuck out in the middle of Rickerby Park-long forgotten(and it looks it).As cenotaphs go it's at least of a suitable age and style to look the part if cared for better. Unfortunately the council erected a Black marble abortion in the centre of town about 10 years ago,(can't have them councillors walking too far now!) ,which is used on Remembrance Day.So the old cenotaph gets even less attention. Spike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Lines Posted 4 October , 2003 Share Posted 4 October , 2003 38th Division Memorial, Mametz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 4 October , 2003 Share Posted 4 October , 2003 For me it is the set of slabs dedicated to Walter Tull at Northampton Town Football Club's Sixfields Stadium. However, it is a moot point as to whether this is a memorial or a statement about racism. Either way, it is embarrassingly ugly. As Kate says this is singularly unimpressive, but I particularly dislike it because it singles out one man from Northampton Town Football Club and specifically ignores the others from the club who died at war. There should be no excuse for such selectivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbd Posted 5 October , 2003 Share Posted 5 October , 2003 "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" It must be over 30 years since I first saw The Thiepval Memorial. I regarded it at that time as being ugly and grotesque. Without wishing to cause any kind of controversyor offence, I have to say that my opinion has not changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 5 October , 2003 Share Posted 5 October , 2003 "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" jbd - Quite true, but what annoys me is when it is plainly obvious that not a lot of thought has gone into a memorial. I don't know how much was spent on the Cholsey Memorial, but I think a better choice would have been a brass plaque in the church or village hall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 5 October , 2003 Share Posted 5 October , 2003 Fordingbridge has some garderns, but at the front of the gardens are some gates, IMO they are very disappointing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchwalker Posted 5 October , 2003 Share Posted 5 October , 2003 the trench of bayonets in verdun it really does look a eye saw all the bayonets have been nicked it just look like a german block house . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewThornton Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 Birmingham Council have never bothered to put up a memorial to the 1974 Pub Bombing victims, but that's another story... There is a memorial to the people killed in the Mulberry Bush and Yard of Ale in the churchyard of St Philip's Cathedral, although you can quite easily walk past it without it registering. I too don't think much to the Piper's Memorial at Longueval. It is awful and looks tacky. The village memorial across the road has much more dignity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummy Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 I agree that, probably, the worst memorial I have seen is the Piper's Memorial at Longueval, what an eyesore! (I know, harsh but my opinion). As stated elsewhere I am against any new memorials being erected on the Western Front, especially ones to individuals. Cheers Neil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 The piper's memorial would have looked ok if it had been like Pte Richardson's Memorial or even in bronze or sandstone. It's the white garish nature of the piece I find awful. Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 Sad to say the war memorial in Bearwood, Birmingham. In a terrible state of repair, falling to bits, covered in graffiti and vandalised on a regular basis. The VC winner H Colley is commemorated on there, and I live about 100 metres from his old house! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 Matt; Sounds like a job for the Society of Friends of War Memorials http://www.war-memorials.com/ I used to change buses at Bearwood to head up the Hagley Road to school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 Sad to say the war memorial in Bearwood, Birmingham. In a terrible state of repair, falling to bits, covered in graffiti and vandalised on a regular basis. The VC winner H Colley is commemorated on there, and I live about 100 metres from his old house! Matt, Can you send a photo of the memorial to fowm@eidosnet.co.uk asking for the Regional Volunteers for Birmingham area to investigate. They should be able to do something. Aye Malcolm FOWM RV, Edinburgh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 I am prepared to be kinder about the pipers memorial. I think it is not helped one bit by the green tin shed behind it. I also think that memorials look better once the stone has started to weather so I am inclined to reserve my opinion for a few years, perhaps until I am let loose on the green tin building with some paint! I am sorry to hear about the Bearwood memorial as I too passed through Bearwood on the way to school. Were you changing from the B82 or the 11 onto the number 9? Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 16 October , 2003 Share Posted 16 October , 2003 Malcolm, Certainly will, will get a photo on the way home from work tomorrow and send it on to them. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 16 October , 2003 Share Posted 16 October , 2003 It's amazing how many of us mentioned the Piiper's Memorial as a really bad one and I do think no more new ones. The only new one I like is Welch Division dragon at Mametz Wood. Sorry to say so but I don't think much of the Pals ones near Serre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 16 October , 2003 Share Posted 16 October , 2003 Sorry to say so but I don't think much of the Pals ones near Serre. Paul. If it's the "wall" in Sheffield Memorial Park, that you're reffering to, it was never intended to be easy on the eye. It was purely intended to be symbolic, an intention that ,I believe, it achieves admirably. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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