Peace Monuments Dedicated in 1920-1924

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1920

June 13, 1920 - Monument de Miss Edith Cavell, Tuileries, Paris (France). "In Paris' Tuileries there is a beautiful sculpture of her." Click here to see four proposed monuments. Date from New York Times.

1920 - Edith Cavell Memorial, opposite National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, St. Martin's Place, London SW1 (England). Originally inscribed "Humanity," "Edith Cavell Brussels Dawn October 12 1915" and "For King and Country." Inscription added in 1924: "Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone." One of 21 peace monuments named by the PPU website.

1920 - Angelus Novus / "New Angel," Israel Museum, Jerusalem (Israel). By Paul Klee [1879-1940]. "Object of an interpretative text by German philosopher & literary critic Walter Benjamin [1892-1940], who purchased the painting in 1921. In his 'Theses on the Philosophy of History' [1940] Benjamin wrote "...shows an angel looking as though he is about to move away from something he is fixedly contemplating. His eyes are staring, his mouth is open, his wings are spread. This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage & hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead & make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. The storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress."

About 1920 -Memorial for Edith Cavell [1865-1915] & Marie Depage [1872-1915], Clinique Edith Cavell / Kliniek Edith Cavell, Edith Cavell Inter-Regional Hospital Centre (CHIREC), rue Edith Cavell 32, Uccle / Ukkel, Brussels (Belgium). Depicts two alegorical figures, one of whom is winged. Erected just after World War I for two female martyrs of the war. Still stands in front the successor institution (lower two images). Click here for more monuments for Edith Cavell.

About 1920 - Peace Memorial, Delly Green, Hailey (Witney Parish), Oxfordshire (England). "A 'Peace Memorial' on Delly green, in the form of a small domed temple supported on four columns, was erected about 1920 by Mrs. Phipps of Hailey Manor, and a war memorial cross near the church in Middletown about the same time." Click here for more about the phrase "peace memorial" (used in many parts of the British Commonwealth after World War I).

October 12, 1920 - Anglo-Belgian Memorial, Victoria Embankment, London (England). Opposite Cleopatra’s Needle. Gift from the Belgian nation to thank Great Britain for their assistance to Belgium in the 1914-1918 war, when thousands of Belgian people found refuge here during the German occupation of their country. Leon Delacroix, the Belgian Prime Minister, had offered the memorial to the British nation, and it was formally accepted by Lord Curzon. The unveiling was performed by Princess Clementine of Belgium.

Late 1920 - Un statue pour la paix, Saint-Mamert-du-Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon region (France). "C'est en fin d'année 1920 que fut inauguré le monument aux morts de Saint-Mamert-du-Gard, commémoratif d'une Grande Guerre qui avait fortement endeuillé le village. Louis Bouet avait 7 ans à l'époque et se souvenait : 'J'étais assis avec ma mère devant l'estrade officielle. Sur nos bancs cette l'inscription : « réservé aux affligés ». A voir la tristesse de ceux qui nous entouraient, je compris que ce mot, que je ne connaissais pas, n'était guère synonyme de gaieté.' Dès le printemps de 1919, l'idée d'ériger ce monument fut lancée. M. Puech, percepteur à la retraite, fut choisi comme président du comité chargé d'ouvrir une souscription publique, de décider du monument et de son emplacement. Le 28 janvier 1920, le préfet adressait une circulaire offrant à toutes les mairies la possibilité d'obtenir des trophées de guerre, en l'occurrence des canons. Le conseil municipal en sollicita deux pour les placer de part et d'autre du monument mais n'obtint pas satisfaction, la préfecture honorant en priorité les communes plus importantes. C'est en présence de Gaston Doumergue, futur président de la République, du maire Gaston Teissonnier, du conseil municipal et des membres du comité que fut découverte la statue dressée près de la poste et cachée jusqu'alors sous un drap tricolore, après que les noms des dix-huit enfants de Saint-Mamert morts pour la France et gravés sur le socle aient été prononcés. Quatre noms supplémentaires viendront malheureusement s'ajouter à la liste de victimes de guerre après 1945. La réalisation en avait été confiée à la société Mérignargues de Nîmes. Nulle symbolique guerrière dans l'attitude de cette femme de marbre blanc représentant la Patrie coiffée de lauriers et tenant une couronne mortuaire. C'est un monument de paix, il en existe une soixantaine seulement en France." Sources : "Saint-Mamert-du-Gard de la Révolution à nos jours" de Louis Bouet." WW-I 1920'S

1921

1921 - Peace Memorial Park, Wigston, Leicestershire (England). "Recently rejuvenated with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the park now boasts an award-winning pavilion... An active Friends Group [partnered] with the council [to achieve] the lottery grant and continues to be involved in the ongoing management of the park."

1920's - Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall, Woodhead Lane, Ashtead, Mole Valley District, Surry (England). "Where Ashtead meets." Click here for more about the phrase "peace memorial."

1921 - Fountain, DuPont Circle, Washington, DC (USA). Features carvings of three classical figures symbolizing the sea, the stars and the wind. Designed by Daniel Chester French [1850-1931] and architect Henry Bacon, the co-creators of the Lincoln Memorial. Inscribed "Erected by the Congress of the United States." Replaced an 1884 statue of Samuel Francis Du Pont [1803-1865] recognizing his service as a rear admiral during the Civil War. (The statue was moved to Rockford Park in Wilmington, Delaware.)

1921 - "Victory With Peace" Statue, Freedom Square, Bushwick, Myrtle & Willoughby Avenues, Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City, New York (USA). Square named in 1919. Monument depicts Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, leaning forward with an olive branch, the symbol of peace. Memorializes Brooklyn’s losses during World War I. Sculpted by Pietro Montana [1890-1978]. The face of Nike was modeled after Claudia Deloney, a Hollywood actress and friend of film star Gloria Swanson.

C O I N

1921-1928 & 1934-1935 - Peace Dollar, USA. Created following World War I (the "War to End All Wars"), when everyone simply wanted a return of peace to their daily lives and hope for the future. "Designer Anthony De Francisci [1887-1964] used his 22 year old wife Teresa as a model for the coin and later refined the portrait based on a bust of Victory by Augustus Saint Gaudens... The reverse of the coin features an eagle perched on a rock, facing right. An olive branch is clapsed in the eagle's talons. Rays of sunlight eminate from the lower right. The original design featured the eagle breaking a sword to symbolize the end of war through by the destruction of its implement. Concern that the symbolism might be misinterpreted prompted the Mint to remove the broken sword. The word 'Peace' appears at the base of the coin, marking the only time the word has appeared on circulating US coinage."

1921 - Peace Memorial School, 85 East 36th Street, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). Only the portico (in the shape of a triumphal or memorial arch) was preserved when the 84-year old school was demolished in the Summer of 2005. The site is now called Peace Memorial Park and is under development.

August 30, 1921 - Albert K. Smiley Memorial Tower, Sky Top Mohonk, above Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York (USA). "Smiley's Quaker beliefs led him to...the cause of peace. In 1895, he convened the first of many annual conferences on International Arbitration, held at Mohonk Mountain House. Their purpose was to provide a forum for national & international leaders to meet & discuss world problems in an effort to find alternatives to war. The conferences continued through 1916, & included notable attendees such as President William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan & Secretaries of State of successive administrations. These conferences highlighted a concern for peaceful conflict resolution that has been credited with giving impetus to the Hague Conference movement. The United Nations of today can trace its roots back to the Hague Conferences." Click here for source of this information.

September 6, 1921 - International Peace Arch, Peace Arch Park, US/Canadian Border between Seatte, Washington (USA), & Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Commemorates the centennial of the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812 between the US & Great Britain. Click here for the Wikipedia article. Entry #1211 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1922

May 30, 1922 - Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC (USA). Has engraved texts of the Gettysburg Address & the Second Inaugural Address. The latter concludes, "...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

May 30, 1922 - Murals "Emancipation of a Race" & "Unification," Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC (USA). By Jules Guerin [1866-1946]. Above the texts of the two addresses.

1922 - Peace Tower, Peace Exhibition / Heiwa kinen Tokyo hakurankai kyosankai, Ueno Park, Tokyo (Japan). "At the Peace Commemorative Tokyo Exposition in 1922, a seaplane that sped around on the Shinobazu pond surface was very popular. After the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1922, The park was used as a place of refuge, serving to make people aware of the importance of parks in large cities. Four months later, in January 1923, Ueno Park was presented to Tokyo City to celebrate the wedding of the crown prince. Since then, the park has been one of the most popular places in Tokyo."

H A L L

1922 - Geelong & District Peace Memorial Hall, Johnstone Park, Geelong, Victoria (Australia). Click here for all examples of the phrase "peace memorial."

B L D G

1922 - Kosai County Peace Memorial, Balcairn, Canterbury (New Zealand). "The Ashley on the building refers to the merging of the Kowai and Ashley Counties in 1967. Houses two plaques, one for Frst World War the other Second World War." Click here for all examples of the phrase "peace memorial."

1922 - Monument aux morts / Pacifist War Memorial, Gentioux, Creuse Department, Limousin Region (France). "After World War I, some towns in France set up pacifist war memorials. Instead of commemorating the glorious dead, these memorials denounce war with figures of grieving widows & children rather than soldiers. Such memorials provoked anger among veterans & the military in general. The most famous one is located in Gentioux. Below the column which lists the name of the fallen stands an orphan in bronze pointing to an inscription 'Maudite soit la guerre / Cursed be war.' Feelings ran so high that the memorial was not officially inaugurated until 1990, & soldiers at the nearby army camp were under orders to turn their heads when they walked past."

1922 - Edith Cavell Memorial, Toronto General Hospital, University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario (Canada). By Florence Wyle. Inscribed, "Edith Kavell [sic] and the Canadian nurses who gave their lives for humanity in the Great War. In the midst of darkness they saw light. Lest we forget."

1922 - Fountain of Time, Midway Plaisance Park, Cottage Grove Avenue, Washington Park, Chicago, Illinois (USA). Commemorates century of peace between Great Britain & the US. Sculptor Lorado Taft [1860-1936] took 14 years to complete what was called the "largest single group of statuary in existence." Entry #270 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

October 12, 1922 - Statue of Edmund Burke, Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). Copy of a bronze full length statue by British artist James Havard Thomas in Bristol (England). Inscribed "BVRKE 1729-1797. 'Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the trvest wisdom.'" Edmund Burke [1729-1797] was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist & philosopher who supported the American Revolution & opposed the French Revolution.

1894 - Statue of Edmund Burke, Colston Avenue, City Centre, Bristol (England). Inscribed: "Burke 1774-1780. 'I wish to be a Member of Parliament to have my share of doing good and resisting evil.' Speech at Bristol 1780." Bullet holes were found in the statue in 2008.

1923

B O A T

1923 - "Erasmus," in the "Want," near the Oranjelaan, Dordrecht, South Holland (Netherlands) "Built in 1923 as the "W.F.van der Wyck" for service between Enkhuizen and Stavoren. In 1941 she was requisitioned by the Germans as "Wilkommen," and in 1944 renamed "Regulus." She was acquired by Spido in 1955 and named "Erasmus." She was out of service in 1973, sold in 1974, and in 1976 became the 'Hollands Glorie" in Dordrecht. She remains as a stationary vessel in Dordrecht, with her engines removed."

1923 - Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, National Park Service (NPS), 28 East 20th Street (between Park Avenue South & Broadway), New York City, New York (USA). Demolished in 1916. Rebuilt in 1919 by the Women's Roosevelt Memorial Association. Rededicated in 1923 and subsequently refurbished with many furnishings from the original house by the President's widow, Edith, and his two sisters. Theodore Roosevelt [1858-1919] was US President 1901-1909 and received the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.

S C U L P T

1923 - World War I Memorial, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee (USA). Faces West End Avenue, near the 25th Avenue entrance to the park. Also called the Kiwanis Memorial & the Gold Star Monument. "A sculpture group in bronze by Julian Zolnay of Palermo (Italy). On the marble pedestal two tablets are inscribed with the names of Davidson County's World War dead. The Roumanian [sic] Government obtained permission to reproduce this memorial. [From 'Tennessee: A Guide to the State,' Nashville section, pgs. 195-196]... Restored and and refurbished in 1967. Front inscription: 'I Gave My Best / To Make A Better World, 1917-1918.' Back inscription: 'Erected by the Citizens Of Davidson County Tennessee, 1923, Nashville Kiwanis Sponsor." /// George Julian Zolnay [1863-1949] - seen in right image - was "a Hungarian & American sculptor, [was] called 'the sculptor of the Confederacy' & made the pedimental sculptures on Nashville's 1897 Parthenon."

1923 - Peace Monument, Capitol Grounds, Columbus, Ohio (USA). Includes two bronze plaques -- one for soldiers and one for those on the home front: "Men win glory in the fierce heat of conflict but the glory of woman is more hardly won. Upon her falls the burden of maintaining the family and the home, nursing the sick and wounded, and restoring the courage of the broken. She endures the suspense of battle without its exaltation. The memorial is erected in grateful tribute to the loyal women of 61-65, without whose help no victory or lasting peace could ever have been won." Image and inscription are from two different web sites. Do they match?

1924

February 6, 1924 - Goddess of Peace, The Bund, Shanghai (China). "For triumph in World War One, on February 6,1924, the completion ceremony of the 'Goddess of Peace' monument took place on the Bund. The monument was unfortunately destroyed during the later Japanese occupation."

1924 - Civil War Nurses, M Street & Rhode Island Avenue, Washington, DC (USA). Sculpted by Irish sculptor Jerome Connor [1874-1943]. Also called 'The Nuns of the Battlefield.' Inscribed, 'They comforted the dying, nursed the wounded, carried hope to the imprisoned, gave in His name a drink of water to the thirsty.' Raised by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the memorial was originally designed for Arlington Cemetery, until the War Department objected. It was then proposed for location behind the Pan American Union building ... but the Fine Arts Commission objected to that. Finally, Connor downscaled the size of the memorial and got permission to build it at its present site. Then he had to sue the Ancient Order for payment."

1924 - "Champion of Labor. Defender of Human Rights" (statue of John Mitchell), Lackawanna County Courthouse, Scranton, Pennsylvania (USA). On back side of courthouse. John Mitchell [1870-1919] was a US labor leader & president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1898 to 1908.

1924 - "Maria Dolens" / "Grieving Virgin Mary", Miravalle Hill, Rovereto, Trento (Italy). Largest bell outside Russia and East Asia, and the largest sounding bell in the world. Built under the inspiration of a local priest from bronze obtained by fusing cannons used by all the armies which fought in World War I. The International University of Peoples’ Institutions for Peace (IUPIP) was established in 1993 in Rovereto by the Fondazione Opera Campana dei Caduti / Peace Bell Foundation.

S C U L P T

1924 - Figure of "Peace," Uxbridge War Memorial, Lynch green, Uxbridge, London (England). "I thought we had quite enough memorials that seemed to revive the war spirit rather than to consider peace, which is, after all, the aim and end of every great struggle." -- Sculptor Adrian Jones [1845-1938] in his autobiography "Memoirs of a Soldier Artist."

September 1924 - Cenotaph, Sault Sainte Marie Courthouse, 426 Queen Street, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan (USA). "By Toronto sculptor Alfred Howell [1889-1978]. The third of a group of four memorials designed by the artist. His other memorials are in St. John (New Brunswick), Oshawa, and Guelph. Howell’s Sault Ste. Marie design signified the 'Triumph of Right over the God of War.' On the memorial 'War' is represented by a crouching figure under the shield, and 'Right' is signified by a draped figure holding a sword in her right hand and in her left a cluster of maple leaves. /// A persuasive letter in 1924 from Sault Star editor J. W. Curran to Rudyard Kipling [1865-1936] convinced the famous poet, in an almost unheard of request, to write the inscription that now appears on the memorial: 'From little towns, in a far land, we came, To save our honour and a world aflame; By little towns, in a far land, we sleep, And trust those things we won To you to keep. — Rudyard Kipling, 1925.'"

December 1924 - The Temple of Peace, Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland (Australia). "Built by Richard Paul Carl Ramo in memory of his four sons, three of whom were killed in World War I. * Victor - killed at Messines in August 1915. * Henry - Died of wounds in Belgium in October 1915. * Gordon - killed at Gallipoli in November 1915. * (foster son) Ferdinand Christian Borell - died in Brisbane in November 1923. The body of Ramo's dog, which had been poisoned was also included in the memorial. Ferdinand Borell died on 28 November 1923 in the rear of Richard Ramo's store at 180 Roma Street, Brisbane, as a result of a gunshot wound. A dedication ceremony was conducted in December 1924 and was attended by several thousand people, many of them socialists, pacifists, and members of the Industrial Workers of the World. A band played "The Red Flag" as a coffin was placed in the memorial. /// Right image shows The Temple of Peace, boarded up after extensive vandalism in the mid-2000's."

1924-1949 - Pax Mal / Peace Monument, Walenstadtberg, St. Gallen Canton (Switzerland). "A unique place of contemplation built & adorned with big mosaic murals by one single man, Karl Bickel, Sr. [1886-1982]. To shoot a photo of the entire monument, you need either a fish-eye lens or a helicopter." /// "The left wall represents nature-oriented life: A human couple in various aspects of its evolution, symbolizing love & procreation. The right wall is dedicated to spiritual life: The awakening, toiling, seeing & evolving humankind."