World War II POW memorial moves a step closer to becoming a reality

Published: 27th January, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

FOR former Camden Mayor Roger Robinson, a memorial in the borough to those who died or were imprisoned in the Far East during the Second World War would be the fulfilment of a personal dream.

Ex serviceman Councillor Robinson’s cousin Lennie was only 20 when he died in a bombing raid by the Japanese on Hong Kong in the 1940s. And with support from the Camden New Journal, Cllr Robinson, 73, has campaigned for a memorial plaque for many years, but has been hampered by bureaucracy.

Now a new artist’s impression of what the memorial could look like has been produced in an attempt to establish a lasting plaque at Mornington Crescent.

Cllr Robinson supports a proposal to position the memorial opposite the statue of Victorian reformer Richard Cobden, on the traffic island at Mornington Crescent.

The black granite plaque, which would measure six feet by four feet high, would be raised on “train lines” and sleepers, symbolising the deaths and suffering of those forced to work on wartime Japanese railways.

The inscription on the memorial will call on people to remember the British civilians and military personnel who were incarcerated and suffered, including many who died in the Far East during the Second World War. It will call for peace for future generations.

The memorial planning application has been submitted to Camden Council by architect Chris Roche, whose award-winning firm 11.04 Architects designed it. 

The public can now log on to the council’s website and add their comments.

Cllr Robinson said he first came up with the idea for a memorial when he was mayor in 2001-02. “The Camden New Journal has always supported my appeal and have kept the issue in the public’s mind.”

To comment, log on to the Camden Council website and search planning applications reference: 2010/6812/P