A nation remembers

The Welsh National War Memorial is situated in Alexandra Gardens in Cardiff. It was designed by Sir Ninian Comper and unveiled on 12 June 1928 by the Prince of Wales. The memorial commemorates the servicemen who died during the First World War and has a commemorative plaque for those who died during the Second World War, added in 1949.

The idea of a national memorial was first suggested in 1917. However, detailed proposals were not drawn-up until 1919 when the Western Mail created a national subscription fund and a committee was set up to manage the scheme. Four designs were submitted to the committee and the one selected was by Sir Ninian Comper and approved in 1924. His design took the form of a circular colonnade surrounding a sunken court. On the frieze above the columns are an inscription in Welsh, on the outer side (I feibon Cymru a roddes eu bywyd dros ei gwlad yn rhyfel. MCMXIV – MCMXVIII which translates as “To the sons of Wales who gave their lives for their country in the war of 1914-1918”) and in English, on the inner side. The English inscription (Remember here in peace those who, in tumult of war by sea, on land, in air, for us and for the victory, endureth unto death) was composed by Comper himself. At the centre of the court is a group of three bronze sculptures arranged around a stone pylon. Around the base stand three figures, a soldier, sailor and airman, holding wreaths aloft. There are appropriate inscriptions above the figures e.g. 'Over the sea he went to die', above the sailor. Over them, crowning the structure, is a winged male figure representing Victory.

The memorial is the only 'secular' work by Comper, who was primarily a furnisher of churches. He received much hostility, from the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects and others, for not being a qualified architect, but was supported by the sculptors Sir William Goscombe John and Sir Hamo Thornycroft. The memorial's form was inspired by two visits to French North Africa and particularly Tunisia, where the architect was inspired by the public works erected by the emperor Hadrian. In order for the sculptor, Henry Pegram, to find a model for the bronze figures, the crews of two battleships were invited to the Union Jack Club in Waterloo, London. The sculptor selected a young sailor called Fred Barker to be his model. A number of other war memorials can also be found in Alexandra Gardens. These include one to Raoul Wallenberg who was a Swedish Ambassador in Hungary and saved 100,000 people by issuing them with Swedish passports enabling them to flee to safety. A more recent addition is for the men of Cardiff who were killed in action during the Falklands War. A new memorial has also recently been built dedicated to the men from the International Brigade who fought in the Spanish Civil War.