Animals in War

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Reference WMO/72030

Address:

Park Lane

London

W1K 7AJ

England

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War Memorials Trust case: War Memorials Trust needs to avoid Contributors changing location/description details as we help to protect and conserve this war memorial through our casework. You can still add photographs, update condition and use the tabs below. If you believe any of the information you cannot edit is wrong or information is missing, please make a note of the reference number and include it in your email when you contact us.

Status: On original site
Type: Freestanding
Location: External
Setting: Within a garden/park/churchyard/enclosure/Marketplace
Description: Composite
Materials:
  • Stone Stone (any)
Lettering: Incised
Conflicts:
  • First World War (1914-1918)
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
About the memorial: The Animals in War Memorial was designed by sculpture David Backhouse FRBS, RWA, FRSA. . It depicts mules suffering in war, a horse and dog having come through war into peace, all cast in bronze. A menagerie of animals is depicted on the Portland stone walls covering all the species involved in conflict. The entire project cost in the region of £2 million all raised from voluntary donations by the Animals in War Memorial Foundation, registered charity 106874. It was unveiled on Wednesday 24th November 2004 by HRH The Princess Royal Patron of the Animals in War Memorial Foundation. The memorial is sited in the centre of Park Lane opposite Brook Gate. In late May 2013 the memorial suffered a graffiti attack which also saw the Bomber Command memorial damage. The offending paint was removed within a couple of days by the custodians. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayfair & Hyde Park Walk:This memorial has two levels, the lower one representing war and the upper one the future and the wall symbolises the overpowering horror of war. If you look on the rear side of the wall you can see the ghosts of animals killed in the conflicts. The variety of animals and their contribution to war is often forgotten, glow worms helped light a tunnel, canaries detected gas, cats caught a ship’s rats, dolphins detected mines, pigeons carried messages (over 300,000 used in the two world wars), dogs laid telegraph lines and dug out bomb victims, and horses, camels, mules and donkeys served in transportation as well as fighting duties. Over a million allied forces horses were killed in WWI. This memorial tells a story and is tactile in nature. You can feel for the long suffering mule, you can stroke the dog gratefully looking back at the nightmare of war, and even the horse with raised tail may convey a message! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Route: Cross the road and walk into Hyde Park then turn left until you find next a series of vertical posts of July 7th bombings on LHS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Animals in War This monument is dedicated to the animals that served and died alongside British and Allied Forces in wars and campaigns throughout time They had no choice

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Not eligible for listing

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Eligible 2034

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