Still remembering animals killed in war
Wreathes presented November 8th
Over this weekend “ lest we forgot” in town and villages many people have been remembered. Marches and wreathes, publicly or as an individual cross recalling aspects of a person’s life in war. Yet many animal wreathes were also given in Park Lane.
Short comments November 8th
On Friday 8th November the Animals in War remembrance gathering took place at the animals memorial in London’s Park Lane. Various short speeches were given by the Household Cavalry and Mounted Regiment, Welsh Pony & Cob Society,Zoological Society of London, and Provost Marshals Dog Inspector of the RAF Police. I gave a short piece still remembering animals from the Second World War.
As I have written elsewhere 26% of London animals were killed in September 1939 killed before any bomb was dropped here. Fortunately the majority of the population were nor involved in this destruction of 400,000 cats and dogs – but a minority of individual people were. The stories of those times were often discussed and still remembered in families over decades.
The sole cat on the Animals in War memorial
The animals on war memorial sculpted by David Backhouse and displayed since 2004 is not unique. In Dartmouth Park in Morley in Leeds exists the Stone of Remembrance sculpted by Melanie Wilks and erected in 2011. However apparently only two such memorials commemorating many types of animals dying in war in many ways.
David Backhouse’s Work
This is part of our past history for generations to come.While it is positive that those times are remembered , we should surely commemorate such issues publicly?
The Stone of Remembrance statue in Morley, Leeds
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