Tuesday, July 14, 2015

London, England: Royal Artillery Memorial

You've probably noticed that art can cause controversy - even when it comes in the form of a military memorial. Such is the case with this, located in Hyde Park Corner.

During World War I, both sides spent much of the time throwing shells at each other. As a result, more than 49,000 Englishmen in the Royal Artillery died. After the war, that prompted a movement to pay tribute to that branch of the service.

It opened for public viewing in 1925. As memorials go, this is a grim one - more realistic than most in showing the cost of war. Those who thought the whole episode should be a little more, well, glorious, weren't happy. Use of the howitzer, on top, as part of the design didn't go over well either. But it still stands there, one of the best known memorials in Europe.

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