Talk: The Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Brussels by Dr Dennis Wardleworth

Public Statues and Sculpture Association

The Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Brussels: An Expression of Gratitude, a Diplomatic Blunder, and a Protest Against War Crimes

The Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Brussels: An Expression of Gratitude, a Diplomatic Blunder, and a Protest Against War Crimes by Dr Dennis WardleworthThe Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Brussels is an explicit thank you to the people of Belgium, who despite their own hardships, helped the British prisoners of war who were released after the Armistice in November 1918. The proposal for a monument came from members of the British delegation to the Armistice Commission who had witnessed the shocking state that these prisoners were in, and the help being given by the Belgians. There was strong opposition to the monument from the Treasury, but a diplomatic blunder, perhaps deliberate, made it impossible to stop. The state of the prisoners was the result of war crimes. The War Crimes Tribunal held in Leipzig after the War ludicrously avoided punishment for those responsible. The money for the memorial was squeezed from the huge budget agreed for Memorials to the Missing being built by the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC). This allowed the IWGC along with the First Commissioner of Works, the Earl of Crawford, to select Charles Sargeant Jagger as sculptor. Jagger, a Captain in the Worcester Regiment, himself had fought in the battles in which most of the prisoners had been captured. He had a great admiration for the ordinary British soldier. Some of the imagery on the memorial might be read as his protest at the Tribunal’s failure to provide them with some justice.For further detail see <a href="https://pssauk.org/events/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">PSSA website</a>. Main image: The Anglo-Belgian War Memorial, Place Poelaert, Brussels by Charles Sargeant Jagger (photo: Dennis Wardleworth)

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Talk: The Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Brussels by Dr Dennis Wardleworth

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Talk: The Anglo-Belgian Memorial in Brussels by Dr Dennis Wardleworth

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