A biography of memory: layered memorialisation of military death at an urban cenotaph

Abstract: Established memorials have a way of attracting new memorials to their proximity. The act of embedding a new memorial into an existing commemorative space transfers to the new monument a sense of the weight of memory and commemorative potency of the preceding monuments. The new monument is also legitimised through its acceptance or incorporation into a recognised place of memory and commemoration. Furthermore, memorialising activities play an important role in the formation of group identities and collective memory, which may also be contested or renegotiated over time. This article presents a biographical exploration of this process of layered memorialisation using the war memorials situated in Paragon Square, Kingston Upon Hull, in East Yorkshire as a case study.

Keywords: War memorials, commemoration, memorialisation, collective memory, places of memory.

Article posted to Journal of the British Academy, volume 8, supplementary issue 3 (Memories of Violence)