Guest Hill 60 Posted 13 December , 2003 Share Posted 13 December , 2003 I was talking with a lady today who said that her Gran told her the Cenotaph, in London, used to have a flame at the top. I had never heard about this (although it has most probably been mentioned here!), and wondered when the flame was finally extinguished (WWII?); any ideas? The lady's Gran lost her husband on the 21 March 1918 and remembers going to the Cenotaph many times over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 13 December , 2003 Share Posted 13 December , 2003 Lee, I have just looked in my Story of the Unknown Warrior, which has pictures of the Unknown Warrior passing the Cenotaph - there is no flame from the top, that of course doesn't mean that there never was a flame!! This flame is also a new one on me. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 13 December , 2003 Share Posted 13 December , 2003 Lee, I have just a quick look on the web and I can't find any reference to a flame on the Cenotaph. From what I can see the only change there has ever been was to add the dates of 1939 to 1945 (in Roman numerals) Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Maier Posted 13 December , 2003 Share Posted 13 December , 2003 I have read quite a lot about the cenotaph in various memorial and architectural books and I can’t recall any reference to a flame at the top. Given the height of the cenotaph, any flame would have to be substantial to be visible from viewpoints close to the memorial, and maintenance would be a problem, so I don’t think it is at all likely. Even more to the point, it would be very strange to have an eternal flame bursting out of the empty wreath-topped tomb that is set at the summit. We do know that Lutyens was very concerned about the rationality and simplicity of the design, and fought hard to maintain that. When the wood and plaster original was recreated in Portland stone, he won a battle to keep it in Whitehall, in the middle of the road, and beat off a proposal to add figures at the base. He wanted stone flags too, but lost that one. While the concept is one of simplicity, the design is not. There is not a true vertical or horizontal line in the composition. All the verticals converge high above the ground; all the horizontals are set on the surfaces of concentric spheres with the centre deep within the earth. They would have been all but indistinguishable from straight lines and I often wonder whether the masons were able to create these curves of very large radius anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 13 December , 2003 Share Posted 13 December , 2003 Well, thanks for the info Pals. I had never heard about this flame, but the lady I spoke to was adamant that her Gran had seen it. The Gran had assumed it was a gas powered flame, but if there isn't a record of this then I have to assume that she was mistaken. Once again, thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 14 December , 2003 Share Posted 14 December , 2003 I have never heard of a flame on the Cenotaph. Of interest, however whilst on this subject, the village War Memorial at Burwash in East Sussex has a light in it which is switched on for a day on the anniversery of the deaths of each of the men listed on the memorial, including John (Jack) Kipling. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 14 December , 2003 Share Posted 14 December , 2003 What a great idea Tim. Who switches the light on / off ? Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 14 December , 2003 Share Posted 14 December , 2003 I don't know. My sister in law lives in the village so I shall try and find out Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 15 December , 2003 Share Posted 15 December , 2003 Lee, Have a look at http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/remembrance/cenotaph.htm for the fascinating story of this monument, but no mention of any flame at any time. You will see that the monument represents "a tomb-chest set on top of a tall stepped pylon" and that on top of the chest lies a laurel wreath [similar to the wreaths seen on the two sides] To me, this suggests that there was never any intention of any 'eternal flame' which would not have been in keeping with the theme of this design Best regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 15 December , 2003 Share Posted 15 December , 2003 Michael D.R. - Thanks for the link. It looks like the old girl was very much mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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