Belgian Monument to the British Nation

MATERIALS: bronze sculptural group, Portland stone setting.

DESCRIPTION: sculpture by Victor Rousseau; architectural setting by Sir Reginald Blomfield RA. The memorial, unveiled in October 1920, consists of a bronze figural group set on a rectangular stone base. The group depicts a mother, drapery-clad and with an elongated neck, urging two garland-bearing children forward. According to the sculptor, “I designed the group representing Belgium as a woman draped in mourning, in the act of telling her children that Belgians will never forget their debt of gratitude to Great Britain. The garlands and other floral offerings borne by the children are symbolical of the wealth of the nine Belgian provinces. As for the children themselves, the lad and the little girl are designed to typify the spirit of youth and the confidence in the future, which is the most marked characteristic of the Belgian nation”. The group stands on a broad paved area, reached via four steps. Behind it is a stone screen, classical in design, with a taller central section central section flanked with curved wings: on the left is a relief carving depicting Justice, shown holding the 1837 Treaty of London which guaranteed Belgian neutrality, and matched on the right with one of Honour, represented as St George (both seriously eroded at time of inspection in 2014). At the top of the inset panels to the wings are relief carvings of the provinces of Belgium. The rear of the memorial incorporates a seat.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 February 2017.