Tower Hill Memorial - Merchant Navy Officer

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"To the glory of God and to honour the twenty four thousand of the merchant navy and fishing fleets whose names are honoured on the walls of this garden gave their lives for their country and have no grave but the sea." reads the inscription of the Tower Hill Memorial.  Standing on the south side of the gardens of Trinity Square, London, close to the Tower of London is the Tower Hill Memorial. It commemorates the men of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who fought in the world wars. More than 50,700 Commonwealth merchant seamen lost their lives, and the Tower Hill Memorial commemorates more than 35,800 casualties who have no known grave. Lutyens had planned the memorial for a site at the Embankment in London, near the heart of maritime Britain, but the plan was rejected by the Fine Arts Commission. In November 1926, an alternative site was chosen in the garden at Trinity Square which was considered suitable due to the area’s proximity to London’s maritime history and its comparatively quiet position. Lutyens remained loyal to the project and work began in 1927. The sculpture itself is by Sir William Reid Dick. The Scottish sculptor contributed to many war memorials including Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.