OXFORD has only three public war memorials: in Rose Hill, Bonn Square and St Giles.
If another public memorial is to be set up, it is important that Oxford residents support it. There should be a public consultation for such a project.
The Spanish Civil War is a conflict which remains unresolved. In Spain itself, it arouses strong emotions.
Even if the principle of a memorial is accepted, the current proposal needs to be carefully considered:
1. Size – at 2m high and 1m wide, it would be disproportionate to other war memorials.
2. Design – this features a large clenched fist grasping a scorpion, and the communist star. The star is in red, and the fist/scorpion in bronze resin high relief. The scorpion does not appear on any other memorial in the UK, and we cannot know whether any of the Oxford volunteers would have recognised it. The design appears aggressive and triumphalist.
3. Site – the granite block is to be placed on a piece of open lawn, between the City War Memorial and St Giles’ churchyard. It will be highly visible at this major intersection. The City War Memorial is a simple dignified structure.
Cllr LIZ WADE
Lib Dem for St Margaret’s Ward
Polstead Road, Oxford
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