Monument

Mercantile Marine Memorial - WW2

Erection date: 5/11/1955

Inscription

{On the low wall overlooking the sunken garden:}
1939 - 1945
The twentyfour thousand of the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets whose names are honoured on the walls of this garden gave their lives for their country and have no grave but the sea.

View the 23,831 names commemorated on the monument

Site: Mercantile Marine Memorial - WW2 (1 memorial)

EC3, Trinity Square Garden

Designed as an extension to the WW1 Mercantile Marine memorial to the south.  A semi-circular sunken garden contains the names of almost 24,000 British seamen and 50 Australian seamen, all listed on the walls of the sunken garden.  Our website provides access to this list but (for capacity reasons) our app doesn't.  In the centre of the garden is a pool of bronze, engraved with a compass pointing north.  The memorial incorporates two statues, one an officer and one a seaman of the Merchant Service, and seven allegorical figures in relief, one shown in our photograph, possibly representative of the seven seas.  The garden was intended to provide a quiet space for mourners and, as pointed out by Ward-Jackson in his magnificent 'Public Sculpture of the City of London', is reminiscent of the "...east end of an imaginary ruined church, complete with radiating chapels, an image with powerful resonances in the bombed City...".

Attached to the wall of the steps is a sort of User's Guide to this memorial.  It gives a ground plan (see photo) and: "The names of the dead are to be found under the names of the ships in which they were serving.  The ships of the Merchant Navy are arranged in alphabetical order on panels 1 to 121 and panels 130 to 132.  Panel 122 bears the names of the men of the Lighthouse and Pilotage Services.  Vessels of the Fishing Fleets appear on panels 123 to 129.  If visitors have difficulty in finding a name, they are advised to consult the Registers containing lists in alphabetical order of all those commemorated on this memorial at the office of the Corporation of Trinity House in this Square {contact details}.     Respect this sanctuary which bears the names of true men lost at sea.  Keep it clean and shipshape."

We thank Jamie Davis for finding this link to the British Pathe news film of the unveiling.

 

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Mercantile Marine Memorial - WW2

Subjects commemorated i

23,831 names

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission have kindly supplied the list of names with some details on each.

View the list

World War 2

Sorry, we've done no research on WW2, it's just too big a subject. But do vis...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Mercantile Marine Memorial - WW2

Created by i

Queen Elizabeth II

Born 17 Bruton Street, to the Duke and Duchess of York. For information on wh...

Read More

Edward Maufe

Architect. Born in Yorkshire as Edward Brantwood Muff into a family which, in...

Read More

Sir Charles Thomas Wheeler

Sculptor. Born Staffordshire. Early rheumatic fever made him unfit for active...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Theatre Royal - Harris

Theatre Royal - Harris

WC2, Catherine Street

The cherubs hold theatrical masks. Musical instruments adorn the outer pillars. The inner pilasters are surmounted with the set-square ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Queen Victoria Memorial

Queen Victoria Memorial

SW1, The Mall

Shame about the nose. On the platform at the unveiling ceremony Brock was made Knight Commander of the Bath.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Liverpool Street Station restoration

Liverpool Street Station restoration

EC2, Liverpool Street, Liverpool Street Station

Unusually high quality plaque, for the date.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Chiswick war memorial - Turnham Green

Chiswick war memorial - Turnham Green

W4, Chiswick High Road

Originally surrounded by metal railings which have since been replaced with the hedge.

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
The Monument - east and south

The Monument - east and south

EC3, Monument Street

Built 1671-7, designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke as a monument to the Great Fire and as a scientific instrument. Each step is ...

10 subjects commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

Giuseppe Mazzini

Giuseppe Mazzini

Italian patriot. Born Genoa. Died Pisa. An exile in London for much of his life from 1837 onwards.  Byronico has information about 10 addresses where he lived in London. He often stayed near, or wi...

Person, Nationalism, Italy

4 memorials