Twickenham War Memorial

The Twickenham War Memorial was erected in 1921 by Twickenham Urban District, featuring a bronze sculpture by Mortimer Brown, a partner in the Singer & Sons foundry. It stands in Radnor Gardens, a public park created in 1903 from the grounds of Radnor House and former riverside villas.

The memorial consists of a square Portland stone pedestal, set on a moulded base and plinth, topped by a life-size bronze figure of a returning soldier. The soldier is depicted smiling and waving his cap with his right hand, while holding his rifle in his left hand, with his helmet discarded on the ground. The soldier’s uniform and weaponry are rendered in detail. This is notable as one of a small number of First World War memorials celebrating the joyful return of soldiers, rather than the more common themes of mourning or vigilance; a similar example is "The Homecoming" at Cambridge.

A bronze relief plaque on the south side displays the Borough arms, followed by the inscription: "1914 – 1918 / TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF TWICKENHAM / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / THEIR NAME LIVETH EVERMORE / AND TO THOSE / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE WAR OF / 1939 – 1945". The remaining three sides feature bronze reliefs commemorating the Royal Air Force, depicting three airmen, including a pair shaking hands, with an aircraft propeller and wheel visible; the Royal Navy, showing two officers on the bridge of a ship and a seaman; and Volunteer services, illustrating a nurse and a woman in Voluntary Aid Detachment uniform alongside a vehicle. The naval panel is a replica, created by Leander Architectural after the original was stolen in 2011. The memorial was restored by Richmond Borough Council in 2012.