Memorial sculpture group ‘to the memory of prisoners of war and victims of concentration camps 1914–1945’

The memorial sculpture group dedicated to the memory of prisoners of war and victims of concentration camps from 1914 to 1945 was created around 1967 to 1969 by Fred Kormis and is located in Gladstone Park, Dollis Hill.

This group features five fibreglass resin sculptures mixed with bronze powder. Four male seated figures are arranged on a series of stepped platforms, while a fifth figure stands at the edge of the group. The platforms are covered in dark brindled brick paviours and are surrounded by a cobbled surface made of pebbles set into cement, bordered by paviours. Behind the sculptures is a sloping wall made of shuttered reinforced concrete, which is painted white. A plaque on this retaining wall reads, "TO THE MEMORY OF / PRISONERS OF WAR / AND VICTIMS OF / CONCENTRATION CAMPS / 1914–1945."

The seated figures, although posed differently, depict male figures that share a similar appearance, wrapped in swaddling-like strips of clothing, suggesting they represent the same individual in various states or conditions. Kormis described the arrangement of figures as a "five-chapter novel," with each figure illustrating a different state of mind experienced during internment: stupor after capture, longing for freedom, fighting against despair, lost hope, and finally, hope regained. This sequence is intended to be read from left to right, with the final standing figure, arms raised and gazing upwards, symbolizing hope.