Monument to the Women of World War II
Encyclopedia
The National Monument to the Women of World War II is a British
war memorial sculpture situated in Whitehall
, London
to the north of the Cenotaph
. It was sculpted by John W. Mills
, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II
and dedicated by Baroness Boothroyd on 9 July 2005. Fundraising was conducted by a charitable trust set up for the purpose of establishing a memorial, with the National Heritage Memorial Fund
donating towards the project. Baroness Boothroyd also raised money on the ITV
game show
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
.
with Robertson, and former gunners Edna Storr and Mildred Veal leading the campaign. A fundraising trust was founded, with Baroness Boothroyd, Dame Vera Lynn and the Princess Royal
joining. Boothroyd became patron of the trust, with Dame Vera and the Princess Royal becoming 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
.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund
gave £934,115 towards the cost of the memorial, while £800,000 was raised by Baroness Boothroyd who chose the fund as her selected charity when she appeared on the ITV
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 York
based charitable fund.
and then gave back for the homecoming men at the end of the war. 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.
The memorial was unveiled 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 Secretary of State for Defence
John Reid as well as a number of female war veterans. These veterans included Nancy Wake
, the Allies
most decorated servicewoman. 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 ADV
s, flown by female pilots.
Baroness Boothroyd, patron of the Women of World War II trust and former Speaker of the House of Commons, 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."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
war memorial sculpture situated in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to the north of the Cenotaph
The Cenotaph, Whitehall
The Cenotaph is a war memorial located in Whitehall, London. It began as a temporary structure erected for a peace parade following the end of World War I, but following an outpouring of national sentiment it was replaced by a permanent structure and designated the United Kingdom's official war...
. It was sculpted by John W. Mills
John W. Mills
John William Mills is an English sculptor.He was born in London on March 4, 1933.He studied at Hammersmith School of Art 1947-1954, and at the Royal College of Art 1956-1960.He was a resident at Digswell House 1962-1966....
, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and dedicated by Baroness Boothroyd on 9 July 2005. Fundraising was conducted by a charitable trust set up for the purpose of establishing a memorial, with the National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
donating towards the project. Baroness Boothroyd also raised money on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show which offers a maximum cash prize of one million pounds for correctly answering successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty...
.
Origins
The idea for a memorial was raised with retired Major David Robertson in 1997, who was informed that, while many countries had a national monument to the work that woman undertook during the Second World War, the UK did not. Previous campaigns had only been limited to attempting to generate funds for a plaque in York MinsterYork Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
with Robertson, and former gunners Edna Storr and Mildred Veal leading the campaign. A fundraising trust was founded, with Baroness Boothroyd, Dame Vera Lynn and the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
joining. Boothroyd became patron of the trust, with Dame Vera and the Princess Royal becoming vice–patrons. The remaining vice–patrons were John Grogan, MP for Selby
Selby (UK Parliament constituency)
Selby was a parliamentary constituency in North Yorkshire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
; Hugh Bayley
Hugh Bayley
Hugh Bayley is a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for York Central. He held the City of York seat from 1992 to the 2010 general election, when boundary changes took effect.-Early life:...
, the MP for City of York
City of York (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of York was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
; Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Robert Crawford
Robert Crawford (historian)
--Sir Robert Crawford, CBE is a former Director General of the Imperial War Museum.Educated at Culford School and Pembroke College, Oxford , he joined the Imperial War Museum as a Research Assistant in 1968 and progressed to Head of Research and Information, Keeper of the Department of...
.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
gave £934,115 towards the cost of the memorial, while £800,000 was raised by Baroness Boothroyd who chose the fund as her selected charity when she appeared on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show which offers a maximum cash prize of one million pounds for correctly answering successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty...
in 2002. The remaining funds were raised by the Memorial to the Women of World War II Fund, a York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
based charitable fund.
Design
The initial design involved a female Air Raid Warden sheltering children; however, this was simplified until it became the final design. The bronze monument stands 22 feet (6.7 m) high, 16 feet (4.9 m) long and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide. The lettering on the sides replicates the typeface used on war time ration books. There are 17 individual sets of clothing and uniforms around the sides, symbolising the hundreds of different jobs women undertook in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and then gave back for the homecoming men at the end of the war. These outfits include uniforms as worn by the Women's Land Army
Women's Land Army
The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls...
, Women's Royal Naval Service
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
, a nursing cape, a police overall and a welding mask.
Unveiling
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
John Reid as well as a number of female war veterans. These veterans included Nancy Wake
Nancy Wake
Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, AC, GM , served as a British agent during the later part of World War II. She became a leading figure in the maquis groups of the French Resistance and was one of the Allies' most decorated servicewomen of the war.-Early life:Born in Roseneath, Wellington, New Zealand in...
, the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
most decorated servicewoman. A flypast of five military helicopters took place, an Apache, Sea King
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
, Lynx
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
, Chinook and Merlin, which were flown by all female crews. This was followed by a flypast of two Panavia Tornado ADV
Panavia Tornado ADV
The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant is a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979, and it entered service in 1986. It was retired on 22 March 2011 by the Royal Air Forceand is now only in service with the...
s, flown by female pilots.
Baroness Boothroyd, patron of the Women of World War II trust and former Speaker of the House of Commons, 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."