Workington Cenotaph

I found myself in Vulcan's Park today, the green space in the heart of Workington. At the centre of the park stands the town cenotaph, designed by Scottish architect, Sir Robert Lorimer, and erected in 1928. The pink Shap granite is a perfect contrast for four distinctive bronze panels, one on each of the four sides. I found this image of a soldier carrying a wounded comrade to be particularly affecting. 

There were lots of young people walking through the park, chatting, laughing and using mobile phones. I wondered how many had ever noticed the cenotaph, let alone bothered to read its inscriptions. The Battle of Passchendaele took place 100 years ago this year. I realised that the First World War was as ancient a history to young people today, as was the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 to the young men who Lord Kitchener enlisted to fight in the trenches. 

How rapidly one generation gives way to the next.