MEMORIALS

Memorial to the Australian Forces in WWI and II in London

Type: Physical memorial
Location: London
Country: United Kingdom
Creator: TZG Architects
Dedication year: 2003

Added: 8/14/2009
Updated: -

The Australian War Memorial in London is a curved structure made of black granite that lies in the eastern corner of Hyde Park in central London.

The memorial was dedicated on the 85th anniversary of Armistice Day – 11 November 2003 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair.

This memorial was made to "commemorate the service men and women who served in WWI and WWII by listing the names of the towns in which they were born" according to the memorial’s official website. 23,844 town names have been etched into the granite and by boldening some of the letters in these names 47 of the many battles in which these servicemen and women fought appear as superimposed over the names.

Slabs of granite with a matte finish have been arranged as a wave that push up from the ground onto the wall and form natural shelves for flowers or candles.

The memorial was designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects in Sydney and in this interview made by myself in late 2003 the principal architect of this project, Peter Tonkin, explains the ideas behind the design and the features of the memorial in detail.


More information

At awmlondon.gov.au you can pan and zoom an online version of the wall.
Londonrevolution has a 3D panorama at Londonrevolution.

POSTED BY JON BRUNBERG ON 8/14/2009