The Cenotaph was erected in Farewell Square,

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, as a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

to soldiers who died in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Standing about 11 metres (36 feet) high, the Cenotaph is built out of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

decorated with glazed ceramic tiles depicting two angels raising the soul of a dead soldier. The vivid color of the figurative decoration makes the Cenotaph possibly unique among World War I memorials of its kind. The design was the result of a competition in 1921, won by the

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

architectural firm of Eagle, Pilkington, and McQueen. The ceramics were made in England by Harold and

Phoebe Stabler Phoebe Gertrude Stabler (née McLeish, 1879–1955) was an English artist working across many mediums including metalwork, pottery, enamel and wood in the late nineteenth and early-mid twentieth centuries. "Although Stabler is best known for her ...

of the

Poole Pottery Poole Pottery is a British pottery brand, now based in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England. As a company, it was founded in 1873 on Poole quayside in Dorset, where it continued to produce pottery by hand before moving its factory operations ...

, and shipped to Durban for assembly: because this process took some time, the memorial was only unveiled in 1926. The stone parts of the monument are handsomely designed in neoclassical style: pillars supporting electric torches and granite urns surround the main structure. As with other

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

s a wreath crowns the top, although in this case it is made of green ceramic. The legend "Tell it to the generation following" appears just below. A metal statue of a dead soldier lies stretched out on a plinth in front of the monument. The Cenotaph is set in a small garden walled in stone with memorial plaques and closed off from the street by a fence. The entrance to the garden, and the view of the front of the memorial, is guarded by a remarkable pair of large snarling

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

lions on high plinths. The ceramic decoration, with its clear lines, strong colors, and sunburst, is in the same style, of which Durban features many fine examples. The neoclassical and Art Deco elements work harmoniously together to make this one of the most striking and lavishly decorated memorials of its kind. The Cenotaph was the object of a bombing attack in June 1981, when a large granite basin behind the memorial was slightly damaged.

Gallery

File:City Hall and Francis Farewell Gardens, XVIII Durban 9 2 407 0010.jpg, alt=, Close-up of plinth File:Durban War Memorial postcard.jpg, alt=, Postcard File:Cenotaph in Farewell Square, Durban, South Africa, circa 1994.jpg, alt=, Farewell Square

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cenotaph, Durban

South African military memorials and cemeteries World War I memorials Art Deco architecture in South Africa Buildings and structures in Durban Tourist attractions in Durban Buildings and structures completed in 1926 1926 establishments in South Africa