.JPG) The Anti–Air War Memorial in 2011, prior to its restoration | |
 Interactive map of Anti–Air War Memorial | |
| Location | High Road, Woodford Green, London, England |
|---|---|
| Designer | Eric Benfield |
| Material | stone |
| Opening date | 20 October 1935 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Anti Air War Memorial |
| Designated | 22 February 1979 |
| Reference no. | 1081040 |
TheAnti–Air War Memorial is located inWoodford Green, London, England.[1] It was commissioned and erected by thesocialistsuffragistSylvia Pankhurst in 1935 as "a protest againstwar in the air".[2][3] It is Britain's first anti-war memorial,[4] and is recorded in theNational Heritage List for England as a Grade IIlisted building.[3]
Pankhurst held strongpacifist andanti-war beliefs as a result of witnessingZeppelin raids by theGerman Empire on London duringWorld War I.[1] In 1932, she expressed opposition to theRoyal Air Force's use of aerial bombing during theSaya San Rebellion andPink's War, and in 1935 was vocal against attacks by theRegia Aeronautica against Ethiopia.[1] One of the inscriptions on the memorial dedicates it to "those who in 1932 upheld the right to use bombing aeroplanes", an ironic reference to the participants of the 1932World Disarmament Conference, who voted to maintain the right to use aerial bombing in warfare.[1] In the words of the sculptor, "Those who had preserved bombing were politically and morally dead, and this was their gravestone".[5]
The memorial was unveiled on 20 October 1935 by R. P. Zaphiro, secretary of the Imperial Ethiopian Legation.[1][3] Also present were socialist friends of Pankhurst's, such asJames Ranger.[5] On its first night in place, the memorial was vandalised and it was later stolen; a replacement was built by Benfield and unveiled on 4 July 1936.[1] The second unveiling was attended by representatives of Germany, France, Hungary, Austria and Guyana (then known as British Guiana), as well as Ethiopia.[1][6]
In 1979, the memorial was given a Grade II heritage listing in recognition of its special historic interest, under the name "Anti-Abyssinian War Memorial"; the record was corrected at the time of the restoration in 2014.[3]
In the 1980s, the memorial became a focus foranti-nuclear activists and an annual Peace Picnic was held there.[1] In 1985, for the memorial's 50th anniversary, local resident Sylvia Ayling organised a street march and re-enactment of the unveiling, this time by peace activistMaggie Freake.[7]
In 1996 the stone bomb was stolen from the top of the memorial and later recovered by police inEpping Forest. It was repaired and returned to its plinth, with all costs covered by theBorough of Redbridge and Pankhurst's son,Richard.[1][7]
In 2014, the memorial was refurbished again. The Sylvia Pankhurst Trust (active 2007–2019 and led by Susan Homewood) organised a re-dedication ceremony to coincide with World Disarmament Day.[2][4][8] Susan Homewood introduced the event and read a message from Dr Richard Pankhurst, who had long expressed a wish for the monument to be restored again. Invited speakers wereBruce Kent, Pankhurst's biographerKatherine Connelly, local MPIain Duncan Smith and former MP and campaignerLinda Perham. Redbridge Museum provided an exhibition about Sylvia Pankhurst's years in Woodford and amongst the guests was Sylvia Ayling.
Under the shadow of trees, the monument had become less noticeable to the public since its previous unveiling in the 1980s. By agreement with English Heritage and Dr Richard Pankhurst, the Sylvia Pankhurst Trust restored the monument's original name: the Anti Air War Memorial,[8] and erected prominent signage.
The memorial is in the form of a plinth topped by a pyramid, on which a stone bomb is mounted, as if it had fallen vertically onto the tip of the pyramid. It was designed by the sculptorEric Benfield.[3][5]
The memorial was built on land owned by Pankhurst opposite the home she shared withSilvio Corio, Red Cottage.[1] In 1939 the cottage was demolished and four houses were built on the land; in 2009 a local developer demolished those houses and replaced them with apartment buildings. However, the memorial has remained intact throughout these redevelopments.[4]
51°37′01″N0°01′33″E / 51.61696°N 0.02570°E /51.61696; 0.02570
