Memorial move needs wider vision
Friday 10th February 2012, 2:30PM GMT.
JUST over a month ago, the commander of ceremonial parades raised for discussion the possibility of moving the island’s Smith Street War Memorial to a more suitable place.
It is an idea that has much to commend it.
While it is faintly perturbing to consider disturbing something as revered and respected as an enduring monument to the war dead, time does not stand still.
What might have been the ideal site when the then Lt-Governor Major General Sir Charles Sackville-West unveiled it in the autumn of 1926, it is considerably less so today now that it has become effectively a traffic island in an endless stream of vehicles.
Moving it, as has been suggested, to the sunken garden potentially resolves another issue.
St Peter Port has no obvious ceremonial square or civic space. The closest is probably La Plaiderie, which takes its name from the medieval courthouse or ‘pleading place’ when that area was the centre of Town from around 400AD.
The sunken garden itself is an accident of history. Previously the site of the former St Paul’s Church, it came into being when the building – which was being used as office accommodation by the States – was demolished and people liked the new, open area and retained it.
It is a pleasant oasis but could, with the right design and respect, become St Peter Port’s memorial centre. With the War Memorial placed to the rear and the site levelled, it would provide an opportunity to create space with purpose.
By making the War Memorial more accessible and part of a living plaza, the purpose of the memorial – remembrance – is reinforced.
In addition, it becomes the solemn backdrop for other ceremonial and civic events and is placed within the centre of the island’s judicial and administrative heart.
Achieving this would require vision, a lot of support and more money but it is, as the commander of ceremonial parades observed, worth serious consideration.
Done successfully, Guernsey’s enduring monument to the fallen could also become the backdrop to what the sacrifice ultimately meant: bequeathing islanders the freedom to create their own Liberation Square.
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The Guernsey Press on many occasions has expressed views which are mirrored by the general public. However on this issue they are way off the mark. The topic of the monument being moved has been discussed by many and the vast majority have shown agreement on it being left in its current location. This issue is being pushed by a very small group of people which your editorial seems to be supporting.
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I’m inclined to agree with you Geoff. Most of the comments I’ve heard on the subject oppose the idea. The monument rightly occupies a prominent position in town already, so what’s the problem?
We’re told the island has a dwindling public purse and there are major repairs to our sewage infrastructure needed as well as other public infrastructure spending requirements – and yet there remain some who insist on spending money doing something that the majority of islanders consider unnecessary.
A simple rule for these people I would suggest is this:
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it – especially when you’re short of cash.
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I think that by stating “time does not stand still”, in this context, the author of this comment shows their ignorance of any of the issues concerning war memorials.
Other than the overwhelming sense of loss that compelled the community to build a monument to those that gave their life would have been a desire to ensure that any such monument stood the test of time. To move this monument would disregard the significance of its setting, design and most importantly the strength of feeling and consideration that put it there in the first place.
I’ve no doubt that the motives of those that suggest it’s relocation are entirely honourable, but they are misguided. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons given for its relocation.
1. It’s now surrounded by a busy road. – I’ve never experienced any problem finding a gap in the traffic and the road is shut for the Remembrance day ceremony.
2. The attendees of the ceremony find it difficult to stand on the slope. – I think the hilltop site would have been favoured by those deciding on its location originally, for obvious reasons. It definitely would be cheaper to construct a temporary level platform every year, for those that find the slope difficult.
3. It would form part of a civic ceremonial plaza. – Close the road between it and the sunken garden permanently and it would, without moving it!
4. By incorporating it into a living plaza the purpose of the memorial, remembrance, is reinforced. – This statement has no basis in fact whatsoever. Making an effort to keep, maintain and cherish the monument as its founders intended, in spite of some difficulties, does however.
5. It becomes the solemn backdrop for other ceremonial and civic events and is placed within the centre of the island’s judicial and administrative heart. – It already is within the stated centre. For obvious reasons it is a stand alone monument, it should not have to form a solemn background for anything else other than that for which it was intended.
This proposal would be unlikely to get planning permission anyway as I’m sure the planners would be using guidance similar to that given by English Heritage or the War Memorials Trust. If you check out the WMT web page on moving memorials you will find that none of the reasons given so far could justify its relocation.
I have no problem with the sunken garden becoming a civic space without a relocated memorial. The cynic in me says that an underground car park is probably more likely though.
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It is about time the full story came out here. Yes they want to move the memorial .
But at what cost?
The sunken garden will be a private car park .
the top will be a granite blank with a memorial on top to keep us islanders quiet.
The garden should stay as it is a green oasis, this is used by so many to sit and rest in-between work
and the memorial will stay where our forefathers put it !
I am getting fed up with this idea of moving places around . All those who are dead have no say in what their monies were spent on as their last resting space .
If our press reporters would like to go and snoop they too will find the plans already drawn up!
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Does this land belong to the parish?
Why are the Constables saying what to do with land that does not belong to them?
Did they not have enough egg on their face with their new office development?
If this is being sold off to the private person or company how much other of land that belong to the People of Guernsey will go the same way!
Leave the Memorial where it is and keep the Sunken garden as it was destined to be “a garden for the people”.
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