One of the beauties of the City is the passageways that take you off the busy main roads, avoiding pedestrian traffic and making for a quicker, more pleasant journey. You also never know what you will stumble on. This war memorial of 1922 in Waterhouse Court is by Swiss-born sculptor Frank Blundstone and is a memorable work of art, even leaving aside the sentiments behind it. It remembers the employees of Prudential Assurance who died in World War I (another nearby is dedicated to those who died in WWII).
It is a typical Victorian extravaganza of women struggling with their clothing and heroic fallen warrior. What sets it apart is the details of the machinery of war, such as tanks and a biplane. This theme – of this new type of warfare – is picked up in the bas relief on each side, which show an artillery piece being hauled into action and a convoy at sea.
The Prudential War Memorial
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