Cenotaph
Whitehall, SW1
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross
This memorial (the name means 'empty tomb') commemorates the 'Glorious Dead' - the commonwealth citizens who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars.
It was designed by Edwin Lutyens in 1919, originally in wood and plaster, and was rebuilt in stone in 1920. The sides of it are slightly concave and convex, which represents infinity. And there are deliberately no decorations on it except for the flags of the three military services and the Merchant Navy, which makes it a suitably stark memorial.
A remembrance service is held each year at 11am on the nearest Sunday to 11th November. It is attended by the monarch, leading politicians, and war veterans and it is broadcast on national television.
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