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Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrat), on Wednesday, 5 April 1995, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 21 members in total.

FIRST WORLD WAR MEMORIAL AT THIEPVAL

That this House notes with great concern that the only religious symbols incorporated in the design of the Thiepval Memorial near Albert in North East France are Christian crosses; points out that the Memorial was built to commemorate all the Allied soldiers whose bodies were not found nor identified and who lost their lives during the Battle of the Somme, many of whom were from non-Christian faiths; and calls upon the British Government to take early action to ensure that the Memorial bears the symbols of all the known religions represented among the 70,000 plus service personnel who are commemorated by the Memorial.

Amendments

The Early day motion has received an amendment.

FIRST WORLD WAR MEMORIAL AT THIEPVAL (978A1)
The Early day motion has received an amendment sponsored by Baroness Golding (primary, Labour) and tabled on Monday, 24 April 1995. It has been signed by 80 members in total.
leave out from `House' to end and add `that as early as 1917 religious bodies had been consulted on the subject of denominational commemoration on the Thiepval Memorial near Albert in North-East France, and support had been given to the recommendation made by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the architect of the memorial, that a major non-denominational symbol, the Stone of Remembrance, should embrace all the beliefs of those commemorated on the memorials or buried in the war cemeteries and which would invite visitors to consider the common sacrifice rather than the variety of individual backgrounds of those who died; and further notes that the only religious symbols on the Thiepval memorial are a Maltese Cross, forming an integral part of the Sovereign's crown between the dates 1914-18, and a small box in which the register is kept; and further notes that all representatives of Commonwealth governments on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have strongly supported the retention of a non-denominational stone of common sacrifice which will be acceptable to those of many different faiths or none.'.

Secondary information

Type
Early day motion
Reference
978 
978A1 
Session
1994-95
Subjects
Monuments Battle of the Somme Thiepval Memorial
Link
View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk