Perhaps you have heard whispers of a memorial born from pacifist convictions. That is the Woodford Green War Memorial. It stands as Britain’s first anti-war memorial.
Sylvia Pankhurst, a socialist suffragist, commissioned it in 1935. She intended it as a protest against war in the air. This Grade II listed building holds a unique place in history.
Pankhurst witnessed the horrors of Zeppelin raids on London during World War I. This experience fueled her pacifist beliefs. In 1932, she opposed the Royal Air Force’s aerial bombing in various conflicts. She also spoke against attacks by the Regia Aeronautica against Ethiopia in 1935.
The Woodford Green War Memorial bears an ironic inscription. It dedicates the memorial to those who upheld the right to use bombing aeroplanes in 1932. This was a jab at the World Disarmament Conference. They voted to maintain aerial bombing in warfare. The sculptor, Eric Benfield, said these individuals were “politically and morally dead”. He saw the memorial as their gravestone.
R. P. Zaphiro unveiled the Woodford Green War Memorial on October 20 1935. He was the secretary of the Imperial Ethiopian Legation. Socialist friends of Pankhurst’s also attended.
On its first night, vandals damaged the memorial. Later, someone stole it. Benfield built a replacement. It was unveiled on July 4 1936. Representatives from various countries attended the second unveiling.
The Woodford Green War Memorial gained a Grade II heritage listing in 1979. Initially, it was under the name “Anti-Abyssinian War Memorial”. The record was corrected during a 2014 restoration.
In the 1980s, anti-nuclear activists adopted the memorial. They held an annual Peace Picnic there. In 1985, Sylvia Ayling organized a street march. It re-enacted the unveiling for the memorial’s 50th anniversary.
In 1996, someone stole the stone bomb from the top. Police recovered it in Epping Forest. The Borough of Redbridge and Pankhurst’s son paid for repairs.
The Sylvia Pankhurst Trust refurbished the Woodford Green War Memorial in 2014. They held a re-dedication ceremony on World Disarmament Day. Speakers included Bruce Kent and Katherine Connelly. Iain Duncan Smith and Linda Perham also spoke. Redbridge Museum presented an exhibition about Pankhurst’s time in Woodford.
The memorial features a plinth topped by a pyramid. A stone bomb sits atop the pyramid. It looks as if it fell vertically. Eric Benfield designed the Woodford Green War Memorial.
Pankhurst built the memorial on her land, across from Red Cottage. She shared the cottage with Silvio Corio. Developers demolished the cottage in 1939. They built four houses. In 2009, those houses were replaced with apartments. The memorial has remained intact through all changes.
Today, the Woodford Green War Memorial stands as a testament. It honors Pankhurst’s vision of peace. It reminds us of the human cost of aerial warfare. It urges us toward a future free from conflict.