Afghanistan-Iraq War Memorial - Victoria Embankment Gardens, London, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Master Mariner
N 51° 30.204 W 000° 07.454
30U E 699581 N 5709728
This Afghanistan-Iraq memorial was unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth on 9th March 2017. It stands in the Victoria Embankment Gardens outside the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall. The BBC covered the ceremonies and unveiling.
Waymark Code: WMV7XD
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/11/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 6

The Iraq-Afghanistan memorial is dedicated to both military and civilian personnel who were involved in the wars between 1990 and 2015. A total of 682 service personnel lost their lives in the conflict but the memorial is inclusive of all those who served and thus has no names on it.

Around the four side at the base of the memorial is the wording:

In recognition of all
British Military personnel and UK civilians
who served and worked
in Iraq 1990 - 2009 and Afghanistan 2001 - 2015

The memorial has two large stones to represent the two conflicts. On one side of the stones are the words:

Duty and Service

and on the other, reverse, side are the words:

Iraq and Afghanistan

A plaque is set into the base of the memorial that advises:

E II R
Unveiled by
Her Majesty
The Queen
on
9th March
2017

The BBC reported the unveiling ceremony on TV and on their website:

Iraq and Afghanistan wars memorial unveiled.

A memorial dedicated to those who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars has been unveiled by the Queen in central London on Thursday.

The sculpture, by Paul Day, also marks the contribution made by civilians in the conflicts. It is formed of two stone monoliths and a bronze medallion.

Its unveiling in Victoria Embankment Gardens followed a service for 2,500 veterans on Horse Guards Parade.

More than 800 UK military personnel and civilians died in the three wars.

  • 47 members of the armed forces died in Iraq in the 1990-91 conflict
  • 179 were killed in the second Iraq war from 2003-09
  • 456 died in Afghanistan between 2001-14
  • 43 UK civilians were killed in the second Iraq war
  • 101 civilians died in Afghanistan

Before the unveiling, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family attended a "drumhead" service - a religious service held in the field of battle which uses drums as an improvised altar - with veterans and other guests.

After the new monument was revealed, the Queen received a posy from the Lunn family - Serjeant Mark Lunn, 29, who was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during a fire-fight in Basra, his wife, Corporal Michelle Lunn, 26, and their two-year-old son Alfie.

But the toddler appeared a little reluctant to meet the monarch, squirming and wriggling as he met her.

Prince Harry served in the Army for 10 years, including two tours of Afghanistan. Prince William served in the armed forces for eight years.

The guests included current service personnel, veterans, former prime ministers, civil servants and charity workers.

Among those at the service was Tony Blair, whose presence at the ceremony attracted some criticism on social media.

In 2016 the UK's Iraq War inquiry said Tony Blair overstated the threat posed by former Iraq leader Saddam Hussein, sent ill-prepared troops into battle and had "wholly inadequate" plans for the aftermath.

Former prime ministers David Cameron and Sir John Major were also there.

The £1m monument was funded by a campaign by the Sun on Sunday newspaper.

The unveiling itself was relayed to screens on Horse Guards Parade.

Mark Collins, a former RAF wing commander who did two tours of Afghanistan, said the memorial would be a focal point where people could reflect on the good that went on overseas as well as the sadness.

He said he would remember a US marine from his team who was killed by a suicide bomber, leaving a physical absence in the team as well as frustration and anger for his loss.

Type of publication: Television

When was the article reported?: 03/09/2017

Publication: BBC News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: national

News Category: Politics

Visit Instructions:
Give the date of your visit at the news location along with a description of what you learned or experienced.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest News Article Locations
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
qc2m visited Afghanistan-Iraq War Memorial - Victoria Embankment Gardens, London, UK 03/01/2024 qc2m visited it