The Cenotaph is a war memorial on
Whitehall in London, England. Designed by
Sir Edwin Lutyens, it was unveiled on 11 November 1920 as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the British and
Commonwealth dead of the
First World War. It was rededicated in 1946 to also commemorate those who had fallen in the
Second World War, and has since come to represent British casualties from later conflicts. The word
cenotaph is derived from Greek, meaning 'empty tomb'; the monument symbolises the absence of the dead and is a focal point for public mourning. The original temporary Cenotaph was erected in 1919 for a parade celebrating the end of the First World War; calls for it to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately. The permanent Cenotaph was unveiled by
George V on 11 November 1920 in a ceremony combined with the repatriation of
the Unknown Warrior. The
National Service of Remembrance is held annually at the site on
Remembrance Sunday. This sketch by Lutyens of the Cenotaph's front and end elevations was published in
The Illustrated London News two days after it was unveiled.
Sketch credit: Edwin Lutyens; restored by Adam Cuerden