Monument to the Women of World War II

Origins

The idea for a memorial was raised with retired Major David McNally Robertson in 1997, who was informed that, while many countries had a national monument to the work that women undertook during World War Two, the UK did not. They founded a fundraising trust together with Bill Moralee and Peri Langdale, journalist and ITV documentary producer. Speaker of the House of Commons Betty Boothroyd, Dame Vera Lynn and the Princess Royal joining. Boothroyd became patron of the trust, with Dame Vera and the Princess Royal as vice–patrons. The remaining vice–patrons were John Grogan, MP for Selby; Hugh Bayley, the MP for City of York; Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Robert Crawford.

Over £300,000 was raised by the public. The National Heritage Memorial Fund then gave £934,115 towards the cost of the bronze sculpture to celebrate its 25th anniversary, while £8,000 was raised by Baroness Boothroyd who chose the fund as when she appeared on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2002. The remaining funds were raised by the Memorial to the Women of World War II Fund, a charitable fund based in York.

Design

The initial design involved a female Air Raid Warden sheltering children; however, this was simplified until the final design was created. These outfits include uniforms as worn by the Women's Land Army, Women's Royal Naval Service, a nursing cape, a police overall and a welding mask.

Unveiling

The memorial was unveiled on 9 July 2005, two days after the 7/7 London bombings, by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Also in attendance at the ceremony were Baroness Boothroyd, Baroness Thatcher, Dame Vera Lynn and the Defence Secretary John Reid, as well as a number of female war veterans. A flypast of five military helicopters took place, an Apache, Sea King, Lynx, Chinook and Merlin, which were flown by all-female crews. This was followed by a flypast of two Panavia Tornado ADVs, flown by female pilots.

Baroness Boothroyd dedicated the memorial saying: "This monument is dedicated to all the women who served our country and to the cause of freedom, in uniform and on the home front. I hope that future generations who pass this way will ask themselves: 'what sort of women were they?' and look at our history for the answer."

Vandalism

In May 2015, after the Conservative Party won a majority in a general election, the memorial was vandalised with the words "Tory scum" in red graffiti. Downing Street called the damage "despicable", and at least 17 people were arrested following clashes in Whitehall.

References

References

1. Smith, David. (10 July 2005). "Queen honours war's heroines". The Guardian.
2. (27 April 2011). "World War II memorial campaigner from Selby dies". BBC News.
3. (29 April 2004). "Memorial to Women of World War II". National Heritage Memorial Fund.
4. Bentham, Jon. (2005-06-28). "Tribute to women of second world war erected in Whitehall". The Guardian.
5. (9 July 2005). "Memorial to war women unveiled". BBC News.
6. (9 July 2005). "Women's courage in Second World War commemorated". The Daily Telegraph.
7. "Women of World War Two". United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials.
8. Smith, David. (10 July 2005). "Queen honours war's heroines". The Guardian.
9. (10 May 2015). "Police arrest 15 in anti-austerity protest in London". The BBC.
10. (10 May 2015). "Anti-Tory protesters deface war monument on Whitehall". Telegraph.co.uk.