Erection date: 2/3/1922
{On a panel at the front:}
In memory of the glorious sacrifice offered by Prudential men who fell in the Great War, 1914 - 1919.
We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. II Thess.2.13.
For ye are our glory and joy. I Thesss.2.20.
{Plaques, in the form of scrolls, inscribed with 787 names of the fallen are mounted on the pedestal.}
Four standing girls adorn the corners of the plinth. At their feet are cornucopia and in one hand they each clutch a bunch of laurel leaves or a wreath. Their other hand grasps a toy-like symbol of war: a ship, a bomb, an airplane, a cannon. They would do better holding up their dresses which have all slipped to display their charms. The main group shows a fallen soldier being supported by two female angels. It's only the bandage on his head that saves him looking like a drunken soldier dreaming of heaven.
It's easy to mock this sculpture but we do also appreciate its quality. Speel thinks very highly of it "... one of the most perfect sculptural pieces of the period, in terms of the quality of the figure sculpture, the composition, and the sentiment ...".
The Imperial War Museum gives a count of 787 names and lists them. Elsewhere we have read 794.
Site: Prudential Assurance war memorial WW1 (1 memorial)
EC1, Holborn, 273, Holborn Bars (ex-Prudential Building)
This stunning building is by Alfred Waterhouse, 1879 and extended 1900. The WW1 monument is in the courtyard.
