Dear Editor,
In his letter of 13th August, John Ciric suggested that city councillors spend too much time pontificating about matters which are trivial or beyond their remit, rather than making Worcester ‘a pleasant place to visit’.
He’s right in this but not entirely so about the metal sculpture in Gheluvelt Park.
This he referred to as a ‘war memorial’ and described as ‘a replica of a scrapyard’.
Others are better qualified to explain but the whole park is the ‘war memorial' commemorating the heroic actions of the Worcestershire Regiment in October 1914.
With the British Army in retreat and the channel ports at risk Colonel Hanky led his men (at the double) to retake a vital strategic position at Gheluvelt.
They halted the German advance at the cost of 187 men killed or wounded.
At the opening of the Gheluvelt Park Field Marshal John French, 1st Earl of Ypres said, "on that day the 2nd Worcesters saved the British Empire."
The statue referred to is meant to give an impression of a shell burst and is made of metal recovered from WW1 battlefields.
It works like a histogram, with the fingers in proportion to the number of men killed during each part of the war.
Names of local men who fell are inscribed.
The central area is unkempt rather than neat, to represent the frontline.
If it seems crude, brutal and ugly that is entirely appropriate.
The actions of councillors who seek to draw attention to themselves by raising bogus issues are pretty ugly too.
No matter, they’ll soon be forgotten.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel