BlueDotMusic's video: The Cenotaph by Charlotte Mew read by Anthony Davies WW1Poetry WW1 The Cenotaph

The Cenotaph is a war memorial situated on Whitehall in London was unveiled 100 years ago on the 11th November 1920 by King George V. World War One veterans marched passed and thousands queued to lay flowers to the fallen. It began as a temporary structure erected for a peace parade following the end of the First World War but following an outpouring of national sentiment it was replaced in 1920 by a permanent structure and designated the United Kingdom's primary national war memorial. 'The Cenotaph' was originally a wood-and-plaster structure designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and erected in 1919. It was one of a number of temporary structures erected for the London Victory Parade (also called the Peace Day Parade) on 19 July 1919 that marked the formal end of the First World War that had taken place with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. As one of a series of temporary wooden monuments constructed along the route of the parade, it was not proposed until just two weeks prior to the event. Following deliberations of the Peace Celebrations Committee, Lutyens was invited to Downing Street. There, the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, proposed that the monument should be a catafalque, like the one intended for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris for the corresponding Victory Parade in France, but Lutyens proposed instead that the design be based on a cenotaph. The temporary wood-and-plaster structure had the same shape as the later permanent stone structure, and consisted of a pylon that rose in a series of set-backs to the empty tomb (cenotaph) on its summit. The wreaths at each end and on top were made from laurel rather than the later carved stone sculptures. The location chosen along the parade route along Whitehall was between the Foreign Office and Richmond House. The unveiling (described in The Times as 'quiet' and 'unofficial') took place the day before the Victory Parade. During the parade itself, those saluting the temporary Cenotaph included the Allied commanders John Pershing, Ferdinand Foch, Douglas Haig and David Beatty. For some time after the parade, the base of the memorial was covered with flowers and wreaths by members of the public. Pressure mounted to retain it, and the British War Cabinet decided on 30 July 1919 that a permanent memorial should replace the wooden version and be designated Britain's official national war memorial.The announcement was made on 23 October 1919 that the Portland stone version would be a "replica exact in every detail in permanent material of present temporary structure". Music: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony No.3 'Eroica': 2nd movement: Marcia funebre: Adagio assai Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan Recorded (and released) 1953 The Great War Poets' Download here https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-great-war-poems/id268167309?i=268169767 WW1 Commemoration Poetry Playlist; https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqIk601MRX0gGX46Z7eZNnvUxuGzc_8ZF Join the Blue Dot Music Experience. http://www.youtube.com/BlueDotMusic http://www.facebook.com/BlueDotMusic ©2015 blue dot music All Worldwide Rights Reserved. Video created for blue dot music by Robert Nichol/Allcast http://www.allcast.co.uk