Thinking about the recent interest in the ‘War Horse’ movie and my visit to the exhibit dedicated to working animals section at the National Army Museum a while ago, I thought I should dedicate a post to one of London’s most touching memorials, ‘Animals In War‘, which stands on Park Lane near the Dorchester Hotel.
The monument was unveiled by the Princess Royal in 2004, and features sculptures by David Backhouse. ‘Animals In War’ consist of several bronzes of various working animals, from pack mules used to transport weapons of war to an alert looking dog, perhaps representing a Regimental mascot or even one trained to sniff out explosives, a role dogs undertake today in Afghanistan. There’s also a long frieze depicting ancient uses of animals in war and, on the reverse, a dedication that lists the theatres of war which animals were used in and estimates of the numbers that were lost.
You can see the remainder of the images I captured here. Can I also take the opportunity to remind you that you can follow the Londoneer on Twitter, and if you ‘like’ our Facebook page you’ll get new posts from the site in your stream as soon as they appear.
March 22, 2012
London Sights