The Memorial: Inventive Concept - Concrete Reality
The spectacular setting for the memorial is on the bank of the River Thames just outside the site of the old Belgian Factory in what is now Warren Gardens, East Twickenham.
Today our memorial stands proud at the very centre of the gardens, where once a sentry guarded the Pelabon Works.
It is open to the throng who walk the tow-path, the hundreds cruising by on pleasure-boats, and even the crowds on the other side of the river.
The exciting memorial concept created by our Treasurer, artist Su Bonfanti, was for a piece of public art in the form of a "standing stone", with a poetic inscription spiralling up and around it in a large decorative font. The standing stone, found in both Britain and Belgium, signifies antiquity and timelessness. Here are examples of the sort of thing we were thinking of:-
The monument has been carved out of "Belgian Blue" stone by our stone-cutter Kristoffel Boudens in Belgium.
Our inscription was chosen out of many excellent possibilities from a Poetry Workship at Orleans Primary School, where all the Twickenham Belgian children were once educated:
Memories flow through me
like a boat flows down the river
This was written by 9-year Issy Holton from Year 5. The plan was to show it the three languages used in East Twickenham in 1914-18: English, French, and Dutch/Flemish.
There are also two information boards at the site, telling the story in words and photos of the Pelabon Works and its successor on site, Richmond Ice Rink.
The memorial was unveiled on 1st April 2017 by the Belgian Ambassador, H.E. Guy Trouveroy, and The Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor David Linette, in the presence of Local Councillors of all parites, our Members of Parliament, and local people (men, women and children) from Richmond and Twickenham.
Also present were be other eminent and interested people from across Britain and beyond, descendants, and visitors from Belgium. The unveiling was backed up with an extensive exhibition telling the refugees' story, and by a reception for our guests.
Updated 13.12.2023