The original temporary Cenotaph was erected on Whitehall in London for a series of celebration to commemorate the peace which took place on 19 July 1919, culminating in a parade at which more than 15,000 servicemen, including French and American soldiers, saluted the monument. After the Victory Parade, the temporary Cenotaph became a point of pilgrimage for many people, including grieving relatives with more than a million people visiting the site within a week of the parade.
Following the Peace Celebration in July 1919, calls for the Cenotaph to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately. The temporary Cenotaph, originally intended to remain in place only a week, was dismantled in January 1920, its condition having deteriorated severely. The work was carried out behind a screen to shield the partially dismantled monument from public view. After some debate, the government agreed and construction work began in May 1920. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, there was an added entasis (curvature) but otherwise minimal design alterations were made No date was announced for the completion of the Cenotaph at first, but the British government was keen to have it in place for Remebrance Day (11 November). In September 1920, the announcement came that the Cenotaph would be unveiled on 11 November, the second anniversary of the armistice, and that the unveiling would be performed by King George V.
The Cenotaph in London remembers The Glorious Dead. The ceremony was first broadcast by BBC Television in 1937 and again in 1938. Three Marconi-EMI Emitron cameras first used for the earliest outside broadcast of the Coronation of King George VI in May 1937 were used, relayed via the BBC's Mobile Control Room scanner van, which two days earlier had also broadcast the Lord Mayor's Show for the first time. BBC Radio has broadcast the service on the BBC National Programme and its successors, the BBC Home Service and BBC Radio 4, every year since November 1928, except during World War II. It was also covered by Pathe News (Below).
Latest Publications
Updates
Alan Blumlein page - resources button added
May 30, 2025
Audio Media Magazine - 1996/1997/1998 issues added
May 29, 2025