Welsh Icons-Buildings/Structures
Welsh National War Memorial

 

 

 Back

 Previous

Next

Photograph © Sean Bolton

Welsh National War Memorial, Cardiff
The Welsh National War Memorial is situated in Alexandra Gardens, Cathays Park, Cardiff. The memorial was designed by Sir Ninian Comper and unveiled in June 1928 by the Prince of Wales. The memorial commemorates the servicemen who died during the First World War and has a plaque for those who died during the Second World War, added in 1949.

The memorial takes the form of a circular colonnade surrounding a sunken court. On the frieze above the columns are inscriptions in Welsh, on the outer side, and in English, on the inner side. The English inscription was composed by Comper himself. At the centre of the court is a group of bronze sculptures by Alfred Bertram Pegram, arranged around a stone pylon. Around the base stand three figures, a soldier, sailor and airman, holding wreaths aloft. There are appropriate inscriptions above the figures e.g. 'Over the sea he went to die', above the sailor. Above them, crowning the structure, is a winged male nude representing Victory.

The memorial is the only secular work by Comper, who was primarily a furnisher of churches. He received much hostility, from the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects and others, for not being a qualified architect, but was supported by the sculptors Sir William Goscombe John and Sir Hamo Thornycroft. The memorial's form was inspired by two visits to French North Africa and particularly Tunisia, where the architect was inspired by the public works erected by the emperor Hadrian. In order for Pegram to find a model for the bronzes, the crews of two battleships were invited to the Union Jack Club in Waterloo, London. The sculptor selected a young sailor called Fred Barker, who modelled in the nude and in uniform.

A number of other war memorials can also be found in Alexandra Gardens. These include one to Raoul Wallenberg who was a Swedish Ambassador in Hungary and saved 100,000 people by issuing them with Swedish passports enabling them to flee to safety. A recent addition is for the men of Cardiff who were killed in action during the Falklands War. A new memorial has also recently been built dedicated to the men from the International Brigade who fought in the Spanish Civil War.



 

[Home] [Artists] [Arts & Crafts] [Buildings] [Entertainers] [Events] [Famous Welsh] [Food & Drink] [Journalists] [Musicians] [Places] [Politicians] [Products] [Songs] [Sport] [Symbols] [Writers] [Welsh Info] [Welsh Produce] [About Us] [Vox Pop] [Our Sponsors] [Contact Us] [Facebook Fans] [Welsh News] [Welsh Shop]

All copyrights acknowledged with thanks to Wikipedia. Another site by 3Cat Design 2006-2010
Whilst we try to give accurate information, we accept no liability for loss or incorrect information listed on this site or from material embedded
on this site from external sources such as YouTube.
If you do spot a mistake, please let us know. Email: [email protected]

 


Welsh News


Join us on Facebook


Follow us on Twitter

 

 

Key

Bold Red
Internal Link
Red
External Link

                 Admission Charges
                 Address
                 Arts/Galleries
                 Buses
                 B&B’s/Guest Houses
                 Campsites/Caravans
                 Castles
                 Credit Cards
                 Cricket
                 Disabled Facilities
                 Email
                 Farmers Markets
                 Fax
                 Film
                 Food
                 Football
                 Parks/Gardens
                 Golf
                 Historic Houses
                 Hotels
                 Libraries
                 Museums
                 Opening Hours
                 Places of Worship
                 Pubs/Bars
                 Rugby
                 Shops/Gifts
                 Taxis:
                 Telephone No.
                 Theatres
                 Tourist Information
                 Trains
                 Vets
                 Web Address
                 Welsh Produce
                 Youth Hostels
                 llustration(s) or photograph(s) viewable Illustration(s) or photograph(s)

 

Please help us to keep this site
running as a free resource