Names on a Memorial: Twelve Columns

(This post marks the fourth anniversary of the second Iraq war, which began this week in 2003.)

After months of researching the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval, I have found two books with photographs that clearly display the name structure on each pier face.  As mentioned in my post, Comrades in Vietnam and the Somme, regiments are listed by British Army order of precedence.  The photos each show a pier face with twelve columns divided into six sets of two columns.  At the top of each set is the regiment whose names appear in the columns below.

If the regiment’s names completely fill one set of two columns, they are read as usual from top to bottom, left column, then right column.  The names are divided by rank, in alphabetical order within the ranks.  If regimental casualties require more than two columns, the names continue from the bottom of the right column to the top left of the next set of columns.  If they do not fill these two columns, the names are divided equally between the left and right side, with the next regiment appearing below.  A diagram showing the arrangement design follows this post.

Courage Remembered, a book about the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, has one of the photos.  The authors state that a point of interest when viewing a memorial is the “layout of the names” (p. 109).  Yet they do not describe the arrangement.  The other photo is in The Immortal Heritage, by Fabian Ware, the Commission’s founder, who also does not discuss the arrangement.  The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a 214 page book devoted to this one memorial.  Its author Gavin Stamp does not even mention that the names are listed by regiment in order of precedence, let alone describe the complex organizational structure on the piers, although he does provide minute details about Edwin Lutyens’ architecture.

Can you imagine requiring four months of research to discover that the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are in order of casualty?  There the name arrangement is a primary descriptive feature.  Maya Lin put the names first and her design became one of the world’s most admired memorials.

Lutyen’s architecture, with its interweaving arches, is certainly beautiful, but so is the complex and elegant name structure.  The purpose of the Somme Memorial is to honor Commonwealth soldiers whose bodies were never found.  Architecture overwhelms its own mission when we admire the picture frame and not the picture.

NAME ARRANGEMENT ON A PIER FACE AT THE MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING OF THE SOMME
REGIMENT A REGIMENT A REGIMENT B REGIMENT E REGIMENT E REGIMENT G
CAPT CPL PVT PVT PVT PVT L SGT L CPL PVT PVT CAPT PVT
A1 A28 A59 A80 B17 B21 E13 E44 E76 E88 G1 G26
LT A29 A60 A81 B18 B22 E14 E45 E77 E89 G2 G27
A2 A30 A61 A82 B19 B23 E15 E46 E78 E90 SGT M G28
A3 A31 A62 A83 B20 B24 E16 E47 E79 E91 G3 G29
A4 A32 A63 A84 REGIMENT C E17 E48 E80 E92 SGT G30
A5 A33 A64 A85 LT PVT E18 E49 E81 E93 G4 G31
2ND LT A34 A65 A86 C1 C10 E19 E50 E82 E94 CPL G32
A6 A35 A66 A87 CPL C11 E20 E51 E83 E95 G5 G33
A7 A36 A67 A88 C2 C12 E21 E52 E84 E96 G6 G34
A8 A37 A68 A89 C3 C13 E22 E53 E85 E97 G7 G35
SGT M A38 A69 A90 C4 C14 CPL E54 E86 E98 G8 G36
A9 A39 A70 A91 PVT C15 E23 E55 E87 E99 G9 G37
A10 A40 A71 A92 C5 C16 E24 E56 REGIMENT F G10 G38
A11 A41 A72 A93 C6 C17 E25 E57 SGT M PVT G11 G39
SGT A42 A73 A94 C7 C18 E26 E58 F1 F18 G12 G40
A12 A43 A74 A95 C8 C19 E27 E59 F2 F19 G13 G41
A13 A44 A75 A96 C9 C20 E28 E60 F3 F20 G14 G42
A14 A45 A76 A97 REGIMENT D E29 E61 F4 F21 G15 G43
A15 L CPL A77 A98 PVT PVT E30 E62 F5 F22 G16 G44
L SGT A46 A78 A99 D1 D5 E31 E63 L CPL F23 G17 G45
A16 A47 A79 A100 D2 D6 E32 PVT F6 F24 G18 G46
A17 A48 REGIMENT B D3 D7 E33 E64 F7 F25 G19 G47
A18 A49 LT CPL D4 D8 E34 E65 F8 F26 G20 G48
A19 A50 B1 B8 REGIMENT E E35 E66 F9 F27 G21 G49
CPL A51 B2 B9 CAPT SGT E36 E67 F10 F28 G22 G50
A20 A52 2ND LT B10 E1 E6 E37 E68 F11 F29 G23 G51
A21 A53 B3 B11 LT E7 E38 E69 CPL F30 G24 G52
A22 A54 SGT M B12 E2 L SGT L CPL E70 F12 F31 G25 G53
A23 A55 B4 B13 2ND LT E8 E39 E71 F13 F32 REGIMENT H
A24 A56 SGT B14 E3 E9 E40 E72 F14 F33 CAPT LT
A25 A57 B5 B15 E4 E10 E41 E73 F15 F34 H1 H3
A26 PVT B6 PVT SGT M E11 E42 E74 F16 F35 LT SGT M
A27 A58 B7 B16 E5 E12 E43 E75 F17 F36 H2 H4
22
Mar 2007
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