Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo (කොළඹ ලෝක යුද්ධ ස්මාරකය)

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Cenotaph War Memorial called Victory Tower at its original location, Galle Face esplanade in Colombo

The Cenotaph War Memorial at the Public Library near the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo is considered the main World War Memorial in Sri Lanka. It consists of a cenotaph and a memorial wall around it. The original memorial was commissioned by the War Memorial Committee after the conclusion of World War I in 1920.

Two engraved plaques carved in the stone at the Cenotaph state that the Governor, Brigadier General Sir William Henry Manning laid the foundation stone to construct the Cenotaph on 7th December 1921 and declared it open by himself on 27th October 1923.

British architect Sir Edwin L Lutyens was entrusted with planning this 119 feet 6 inch-high monument. The Cenotaph was built using stones weighing 1-4 tons brought from Sholingar close to Madras (Chennai) in India by ships. Skilled Stone Masons were brought from India to assist in the construction. Engraving on the Cenotaph was done by Sinhalese masons from Galle. Braid & Company was the contractor. Mr. P.T. Adams Architect was appointed by the committee to supervise the work of the monument.

Originally this monument which was known as “Victory Tower” was erected on the Galle Face esplanade. However, when World War II broke out, this 120-foot-high Cenotaph was thought to be an ideal marker for Japanese gunners to fire at Colombo Fort or its surroundings from the sea. Therefore the Victory Tower was dismantled and stored away in 1939.

After the conclusion of the Second World War, the monument was re-erected on Vihara Maha Devi Park, which was then known as Victoria Park.

Below the Royal Crown carved on the Cenotaph letters RGI are engraved. Letter G is larger than the other letters. REX GEORGE IMPERATOR (KING GEORGE EMPEROR). During World War I, King George V the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II was the Emperor of Britain. King George V and the Kings of Britain used RI against their signatures as a mark of distinction. “Daily News” published on 23rd October 1923 also stated that letters RI marked in the Cenotaph are Royal Initials (Perera, 2023).

The Cenotaph contains the names of those killed in the First World War, while the Memorial Wall behind it maintains the names of those killed in the Second World War. A single woman, Miss L. Midwood is listed among the dead of the Great War.

References

Perera, K.N. (2023) ‘ War Memorials In Sri Lanka – Boer War (1899 -1902), First World War (1914 – 1918) And Second World War (1939 – 1945)’. Colombo: Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association.

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Map of Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo

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References

Also See

Map of Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo

Travel Directions to Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo

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