ABSTRACT
In July 2005, as one of many acts marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a new memorial was unveiled in Whitehall, London, the traditional civic and national site for official acts of war commemoration. As a result of a long-standing campaign by female veterans and their representatives, the Queen unveiled a statue to commemorate the work of British women in World War II. Unlike many of the other statues and memorials in Whitehall, this was not a figurative sculpture. Instead, the 22-feet-high bronze sculpture takes the form of a cenotaph, around which hang, as if on pegs, 17 different uniforms representing the variety of war work undertaken by women in World War II. Alongside uniforms from the various women’s services are canteen overalls, a nurse’s cape and a welder’s helmet.
