Thiepval in Somme, Upper France, France — Western Europe
'The Glorious Dead' ∙ Commemoration of the Missing
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 10, 2024
1. 'The Glorious Dead' ∙ Commemoration of the Missing Marker
By 1920 many dead officers and men had been identified for burial in cemeteries with individual headstones. However, an extraordinary number of combatants remained simply missing with no known grave. To commemorate these missing, significant memorials were planned. The first was Blomfield's Menin Gate at Ypres (now leper), completed in 1927, where each day the Last Post is still sounded. Lutyens sketched a design for a proposed great arch at St Quentin. Not adopted, he developed this idea into what became the sublime Thiepval Memorial. A complex design, this pyramidal tower of inter-connecting arches is his greatest and most moving work, and it can be seen from afar in the broad, sweeping landscape of the Somme. On the memorial are engraved the names of over 73,000 British and South African soldiers reported missing on the Somme between 1915 and 1918. The remaining Commonwealth missing and the British missing from 1918 are commemorated on other nearby memorials.
Captions
Menin Gate, Ypres (Ieper), designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield,
this page online
Aerial view of Thiepval Memorial showing its original consuction in 1932
En 1920, à l'issue de la tâche d'identification des victimes en vue de leur enterrement sous des stèles nominatives, ils subsistait un nombre extraordinairement élevé de combattants disparus sans sépulture connue. Pour commémorer ces disparus, d'importants mémoriaux furent planifiés. Le premier, conçu par Blomfield, fut celui de la Porte de Ménin á Ypres (Ieper), achevé en 1927, ou retentit toujours quotidiennement la sonnerie aux morts. Lutyens avait esquissé un projet d’arche monumentale pour Saint-Quentin. Ce projet n’ayant pas été adopté, il developpa cette idée dans ce qui allait devenir le sublime Memorial de Thiepval. D’une conception complexe, cette sour pyramidale d’arches imbriquées est son oeuvre majuere, et la plus émouvante, dominant a des kilometres a la ronde le paysage ondoyant de la Somme. Sur le Mémorial furent graves les noms de plus de 73.000 soldats et officiers britanniques et sud-africains disparus sur le front de la Somme de 1915 à 1918. Les autres disparus du Commonwealth et les britanniques de 1918 sont commémorés sur d'autres mémoriaux alentour.
Erected by Lutyens Trust.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.
Location.
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 10, 2024
2. 'The Glorious Dead' ∙ Commemoration of the Missing Marker
The marker is near the entrance to the Thiepval Museum.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony and also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Construction of the Thiepval Memorial and Franco-British Cemetery (here, next to this marker); Imperial War Graves Commission (here, next to this marker); The Battles of the Somme (a few steps from this marker); Inauguration of the Thiepval Memorial in 1932 (a few steps from this marker); The Village of Thiepval Before the Great War (a few steps from this marker); Subsequent History of the Thiepval Memorial and the Legacy of Lutyens in Northern France (a few steps from this marker); The Durham Pals (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Thiepval Memorial (about 120 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Thiepval.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 127 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 27, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia.
