Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice

A long dark wooden structure. On the wall of the wooden structure, parallel rows of pale tiles are visible.
The Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice
Audio description of the memorial by Sir Nicholas Kenyon

The Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice is a public monument in Postman's Park in the City of London, commemorating ordinary people who died saving the lives of others and who might otherwise have been forgotten.[1] It was first proposed by painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts in 1887, to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.[2] The scheme was not accepted at that time, and in 1898 Watts was approached by Henry Gamble, vicar of St Botolph's Aldersgate church. Postman's Park was built on the church's former churchyard, and the church was at that time trying to raise funds to secure its future; Gamble felt that Watts's proposed memorial would raise the profile of the park.[3] The memorial was unveiled in an unfinished state in 1900,[4][5] consisting of a 50-foot (15 m) wooden loggia designed by Ernest George, sheltering a wall with space for 120 ceramic memorial tiles to be designed and made by William De Morgan.[6] At the time of opening, only four of the memorial tiles were in place.[7] Watts died in 1904, and his widow Mary Watts took over the running of the project.[8]

In 1906, after making 24 memorial tablets for the project, William De Morgan abandoned the ceramics business to become a novelist,[9] and the only ceramics firm able to manufacture appropriate further tiles was Royal Doulton.[9] Dissatisfied with Royal Doulton's designs, and preoccupied with the management of the Watts Gallery and Watts Mortuary Chapel in Compton, Surrey, Mary Watts lost interest in the project. Work to complete it was sporadic and ceased altogether in 1931 with only 53 of the planned 120 tiles in place.[10][11] In 2009, the Diocese of London consented to further additions to the memorial, and the first new tablet in 78 years was added.[12]

The Everyday Heroes of Postman’s Park,[13] a now discontinued mobile app, was published in 2013.[14] It provided a detailed account of the fifty-four incidents commemorated on the Memorial when a visitor scanned its plaque with a handheld device.[15][16]

  1. ^ "The Postmen's Park". Letters to the Editor. The Times. London. 13 October 1898. col D, p. 13.
  2. ^ George Frederic Watts (5 September 1887). "Another Jubilee Suggestion". Letters to the Editor. The Times. London. col B, p. 14.
  3. ^ Price 2008, p. 16
  4. ^ "The Postmen's Park and Cloister". News. The Times. London. 31 July 1900. col E, p. 2.
  5. ^ Price 2008, p. 17
  6. ^ Price 2008, p. 21
  7. ^ Price 2008, p. 74
  8. ^ Price 2008, p. 23
  9. ^ a b Price 2008, p. 25
  10. ^ Price 2008, p. 26
  11. ^ Price 2008, p. 78
  12. ^ Kaya, Burgess (12 June 2009). "Leigh Pitt, who died saving boy, added to 'everyday heroes' memorial". The Times. London.[dead link]
  13. ^ The Everyday Heroes of Postman’s Park mobile app Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "The Everyday Heroes of Postman's Park: Mobile Application". Research Online. 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  15. ^ Prossimo Ventures Ltd
  16. ^ Creativeworks London