Tuesday 15 September 2020

Battle of Britain Day - 80 Years on

September 15th is Battle of Britain Day, each year it is a commemoration of  the large scale aerial battle that took place over England in 1940.  We don't celebrate it but perhaps we should do something, today is the 80th anniversary and I doubt if it will get a mention in the media.

I've lived all my life in London and I love the place, growing up in the 1950's and 60's we played in the derelict bombsites left by the Blitz, all the adults had lived through the war and recalled their memories, good and bad, we grew up with the war still all around us.  

Anyway this isn't a post about any of that, this is a post about sculpture. At the Victoria Embankment on the River Thames there is a memorial to commemorate all the people, military and civilian who took part in the Battle, and I think it's a stunning piece of work.  So what's this got to do with toy soldiers?  Well for me toy soldiers are very much about sculpting, and as I get older I see them increasingly as pieces of art, I appreciate their design and the technology that made them, but enough of this claptrap because I also still play with them.

So for those who may never get to see the real thing here are the pictures of the Battle of Britain Memorial in London.















8 comments:

  1. A wonderful and moving post Brian. I've never seen the sculpture 'in the flesh' so your pics are very welcome!

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    1. Next time you're up in town it's just on the Embankment near St James's Park.

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  2. A moving post indeed and terrific photos.

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  3. What a powerful sculpture and tribute! Thank you Brian.

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    1. Yes, for me it really does convey the confusion of combat in the air and the desperate terror of the people on the ground.

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