Today we walked over to Cardiff Bay with Mr. TBaM's visiting parents. The walk over to Pizza Express takes us past this scuplture, a well-known one in the area, and one that I find haunting and poignant. From one angle, this shows a face, from the other side, it is the wreck of a ship.
"This is the Merchant Seafarers' War Memorial, which commemorates the merchant seamen of Cardiff and the surrounding area who left during the Second World War, never to return."
My maternal great, grandfather (William) was a captain on a boat sailing out of Cardiff during the Second World War. He died at sea but no details have ever been given or known about his death, which is shrouded in mystery. William, like many other men, was enlisted to help out with secret missions during this time, and it seems that he is one of these faceless men to which this sculpture is dedicated.
and very nicely done too x
I like that they have a sculpture that makes you stop and remember. We have a lot to thank past generations for and a sculpture is a great way to do it. I rather like this one from the picture you have taken here.
Ooh that must be an intriguing little chapter in your family's history. Wonder what happened to him.
thats a great story behind this photo – its a really interesting image you have captured x
I had never heard of this before today. This is a very clever way to make people think. Thanks for blogging about it.
My Dad was born in 1941 during an air raid on Liverpool. They were literally evacuating the hospital as he and his 2 other brothers were born (triplets). My Nana only got 2 of her babies back. My Grandad was fighting in Burma!
My Dad joined the Merchant Navy as a ships engineer, having ready served 3 years as a mechanic. He has fabulous tales of life at sea and is all too aware of the military effort of cargo & passenger ships during the war.
I know very little of my Grandad's experiences during the war as Burma left the soldiers silenced with trauma, but I feel a sense of responsibility to remember & respect the sacrifices that he and many men (and women) made for us.
What a though provoking sculpture – we have a lot to thank our ancestors for