30 May 2024
How WW2 memorials adapt to changing perspectives
This year we commemorate the 80th anniversaries of some of the major events of the Second World War. Discover some of the WW2 memorials around the world and how they shape our understanding of the war.
The enduring impact of World War Two
World War Two remains one of the most talked about chapters in 20th century history. Countless films, television shows, books and plays have been written about the war. The success of the recent television drama ‘Masters of the Air’ - focussing on the United States Army Air Force 100th Bomb Group in Europe - shows that there is still huge appetite for the stories of the Second World War.
The horrors of the beaches of Normandy have been preserved in books and replicated on the silver screen. 80 years after these tumultuous events, we continue to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice on 6 June, and throughout World War Two.
Tracing the evolution of WW2 memorials over time
As early as 1 July, the first of CWGC’s Normandy cemeteries was being constructed.
Bayeux, the first large town to be captured during the invasion, had become something of a logistics hub, often the first point of call when supplies and reinforcements came inland from the beaches.
It was also here that a number of hospitals had been set up, caring for those injured during the D-Day landings and in the fierce fighting that followed. Unfortunately, not all of those receiving care would survive, and a field on the outskirts of the town was set aside for the burial of those who died.
This would become Bayeux War Cemetery, our largest cemetery in Normandy, and in turn, the site of the Bayeux Memorial, which bears the names close to 2000 Commonwealth casualties who have no known grave.
Other CWGC WW2 memorials were constructed far from the fighting. One such example is the Runnymede Memorial, also known as the Air Forces Memorial. Here more than 20,000 airmen who lost their lives and who have no known grave are commemorated in perpetuity. Airmen lost throughout the war, from different theatres across the globe, are commemorated here among their comrades.
Where possible, existing memorials, such as the CWGC’s three naval memorials at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham, and the Tower Hill Memorial for the merchant navy, were extended to include World War Two war dead alongside their comrades from World War One.
Such is the importance of commemorating the Normandy casualties of WW2 that new memorials are still being built. One of the most recent is the British Normandy Memorial at Ver sur Mer. While this is not a CWGC memorial, a dedicated team of CWGC gardeners, stone masons and other specialist staff will help care for the memorial.
Changing perspectives on WW2 and its impact on memorials
Above all else, the role of CWGC cemeteries and memorials is to give a physical point of commemoration to those who lost a loved one during the two world wars.
But as the two world wars fall out of living memory, they have taken on an additional, equally important role.
There are few sights as emotional as the rows of CWGC headstones in a cemetery, or the expansive lists of names on the walls of our memorials. These sites are permanent reminders of the futility of war, indelible reminders of the millions of lives lost by the armed forces of all nations around the world.
Now, our memorials are not just points of commemoration, but educational tools that will teach the next generation about the costs of war and the sacrifices made so that we have the freedoms and quality of life that we have today.
Other WW2 memorials also seek to educate.
In London, docked just down the river from Tower Bridge, sits HMS Belfast. Belfast, a Town-class light cruiser, was part of the enormous invasion fleet that set sail for Normandy – part of her war service that saw her sailing across theatres around the world - from Arctic convoys to deployment in the Pacific.
Today HMS Belfast is part museum, part memorial. Visitors can explore the ship, learning about her missions and she accomplished, and hear the oral histories of the World War II veterans that served on her. It stands, not just as a memorial to her crew, but to all who served with the Royal Navy on D-Day and the rest of the war.
HMS Belfast in 1945 (IWM (FL 1446)) and docked in the River Thames today.
Challenges and controversies
There are a range of challenges that affect the ongoing commemoration of WW2 cemeteries and memorials – most notably the challenges that come with time and weather.
In South Africa, Durban Stellawood Cemetery – which contains close to 500 burials of the Second World War, alongside 200 First World War casualties – was hit by storms in late 2021.
The damage from the storms was severe and required a huge effort by our teams in South Africa to put right. The silver lining was that this damage afforded us the chance to take steps to carry out preservation and conservation work within the site, including replanting horticulture with indigenous, drought resistant plant and tree species, and installing a borehole water supply which will provide a sustainable, self-sufficient water supply, reducing the demands on the local area.
Similar challenges can be found across our historic estate, and our teams work tirelessly to maintain and care for all of our sites, from the smallest cemetery to the largest memorial.
One of the most controversial questions that has been fiercely debated in the decades since the end of the Second World War covers the recognition of Bomber Command. Such was the controversial nature of Bomber Command’s remit during the war, that many of their veterans were not awarded campaign medals, despite the huge sacrifices made by the men who flew these perilous missions.
While each of the Bomber Command members who died during WW2 is commemorated at CWGC cemeteries and memorials, there were many who wished for more recognition for these pilots and aircrew.
In 2018, the International Bomber Command Centre Lincoln memorial was opened to the public. The centre aims to memorialise the air and ground crew that served with Bomber Command and enable visitors to learn more about the sacrifices they made during the war.
WW2 memorials around the world
Visitors to the beaches of Normandy and the surrounding Calvados department will not only find a number of CWGC cemeteries and memorials, but a huge number of regimental memorials, or memorials to specific events and actions – such as the Pegasus Bridge memorial and museum, commemorating the airborne assault on the bridges over the River Orne and Caen canal, or the British Normandy Memorial at Ver sur Mer which honours all of the British servicemen who took part in the invasion.
Every year, thousands of visitors flock to these D-Day war memorials and cemeteries to remember those who lost their lives on the longest day, but there are sites across the globe containing WW2 war graves and memorials.
Just like the Invasion of Normandy, we are also marking the 80th anniversary of the battles of Imphal and Kohima this year. These battles were a key moment in the war in the Pacific, where a determined defence was fought against the forces of Japan. Today, Kohima War Cemetery, India, is built on the former battlefield, and holds one of the most well-known Second World War memorials.
The 2nd Division Memorial, which stands within the cemetery, bears the Kohima Epitaph which is often said at Remembrance events around the world: “When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.”
The CWGC are not the only organisation charged with commemorating the fallen of the world wars. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) maintain a number of cemeteries and memorials around the world, many alongside their CWGC counterparts.
To commemorate the fallen of Operation Overlord, the ABMC maintain their Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer – not far from Omaha Beach. The cemetery and memorial opened in 1956, and features a 22-foot bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves by Donald De Lue, as well as a reflecting pool and chapel.
WW2 commemoration in the digital age
In today’s connected world, there are fantastic innovations happening each and every day that change the way we live and work.
Modern technology allows us to visit places around the world that we might never have dreamed of seeing – whether physically or virtually.
Through an app called Memory Anchor, we’ve created a suite of virtual tours focussed around the 80th anniversaries of some of the key events of World War Two – including the Invasion of Normandy, the battle of Kohima and Imphal and the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Discover the Legacy of Liberation
Recently, we launched For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen, a digital archive of stories of the casualties we commemorate, submitted by family members, loved ones and researchers. This platform will hold these stories in perpetuity, making them available online for the next generation to discover.
Discover For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen
Digital tools and interactive exhibits are also being used to engage and inform at museums and visitor centres around the world – including our very own CWGC Visitor Centre in Arras, France, where an audio guide available in a range of languages can help you discover more about our work.
The Juno Beach Centre tells the stories of the Canadian casualties of D-Day through a range of online exhibitions, giving Canadians a link to their fallen from the other side of the Atlantic.
These digital exhibitions and experiences are key in attracting the next generation of history lovers who will be able to engage with the stories of the war dead through the medium of their choice, far from dry lectures and stuffy classrooms.
Remembering their sacrifice 80 years on
The 80th anniversaries of the key World War Two events are a huge opportunity to inspire the next generation of history lovers and encourage them to engage with our work.
As part of our Lighting Their Legacy campaign, we are sending our Torch of Commemoration across the UK and into Europe to visit the cemeteries and memorials that commemorate the fallen of the Second World War.
These D-Day anniversary events will allow us to pass the Torch of Commemoration to the next generation by inviting students and other youth organisations to visit our sites and get hands on with the world war history on their doorstep.