Monument

(lost) Islington war shrine

Erection date: 1918

Inscription

{On the front of the obelisk:}
In memory of the fallen

{Elsewhere:} 
Sea 
Air 
Home 
Land

We believe Higham funded this temporary memorial, rather than just putting in an appearance at the unveiling.

Site: Islington war shrine (1 memorial)

N1, Islington Green

We thank Jamie Davis for finding this link to the British Pathe news film of the 1918 unveiling. The 2005 image from Wikipedia, where it is described as "a painted concrete obelisk, with bronze plaques and wreath, and concrete flower boxes to either side", shows that it had changed considerably since originally erected.

The shrine was only ever intended to be a temporary memorial, but wasn't replaced until 2006, by the unusual Islington war memorial. And when that was erected so too was a plaque which is, sort of, a memorial to the shrine.

A London Inheritance has a detailed post about Islington Green and includes photograph of it being dug into trenches and shelters in preparation for WW2.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Islington war shrine

Subjects commemorated i

World War 1

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came a...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Islington war shrine

Created by i

Sir Charles Higham

Advertising mogul, Conservative politician and local philanthropist. Born Wal...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Chelsea war monument

Chelsea war monument

SW1, Sloane Square

From the typefaces one can tell that the two inscriptions were done at different times, and the WW2 dates don't look squeezed in.  From t...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Lloyd's of London WW1 memorial

Lloyd's of London WW1 memorial

EC3, Leadenhall Street, 12

This arch was the entrance to Lloyd's 1928 building. 37 feet high, of Portland stone, it was retained and now, rather incongruously, sits...

War dead | WW1
217 subjects commemorated
St Peters Eaton square - WW1 memorial - lost in WW2

St Peters Eaton square - WW1 memorial - lost in WW2

SW1, Eaton Square, St Peters

This WW1 memorial was destroyed by a WW2 bomb. There surely must be photos of it in situ but we've not found any. A stone seat was erect...

1 subject commemorated
Battle of Mareth

Battle of Mareth

SW1, Birdcage Walk, Guards Museum

This monument, created from local stone, was originally erected on the battlefield in North Africa.  First moved into a nearby garden for...

4 subjects commemorated
Boy David

Boy David

SW3, Chelsea Embankment

Commissioned to create a WW1 memorial to the Machine Gun Corps Derwent Wood produced a statue of David (post-Goliath decapitation). The o...

3 subjects commemorated, 3 creators

Previously viewed

Residents of Ferdinand Place who died in WW1

Residents of Ferdinand Place who died in WW1

NW1, Ferdinand Place

Robert Davies and his mother Christine, one of the Thomas grand-daughters, told us that the plaque was black, made in cast iron with the ...

War dead | WW1
2 subjects commemorated
Percy Shelley - SE1 - blue

Percy Shelley - SE1 - blue

SE1, Nelson Square, 26, Applegarth House

British History Online: "In 1932 the London County Council erected a memorial tablet on No. 26, Nelson Square." Nice though the Historic...

1 subject commemorated
Violette Szabo & SOE

Violette Szabo & SOE

SE1, Albert Embankment

Unveiled by the Duke.

War dead | WW2
4 subjects commemorated, 3 creators
Paul Verlaine - lost plaque

Paul Verlaine - lost plaque

W1, Howland Street, 31

We are told by our Brussels correspondent, Jean-Michel Pochet, that in 1922 a plaque was erected at Howland Street: "Le poète français Pa...

1 subject commemorated