The GPO Memorial
It was a great honour to design a memorial for the GPO (General Post Office). The memorial commemorates the 12,830 men and women of the GPO who died in the two world wars of 1914-198 and 1939-1945.
One does not immediately associate the GPO with war-time casualty so the number killed is quite staggering. On reflection it is obvious that communication is a vital part of warfare. The GPO was at the forefront of wireless, radio and all forms of telecommunications which we now take so much for granted. They were also pivotal in the development of computers which were such a key part of the work at Bletchley Park in cracking the Enigma Code. This was together with their more easily understood role of letter and parcel work, a vital part of the nation’s morale.
The GPO were one of the original contributors to the National Memorial Arboretum but their memorial garden had become tired and its few old postboxes failed to reflect the important work that the GPO had done. That was why Peter choose to design an expansive panoramic wall of nineteen large glass panels with photographic images which helps to get across the variety and importance of their work - from WW1 trenches to the London Blitz.
It was a great honour to design a memorial for the GPO (General Post Office). The memorial commemorates the 12,830 men and women of the GPO who died in the two world wars of 1914-198 and 1939-1945.
One does not immediately associate the GPO with war-time casualty so the number killed is quite staggering. On reflection it is obvious that communication is a vital part of warfare. The GPO was at the forefront of wireless, radio and all forms of telecommunications which we now take so much for granted. They were also pivotal in the development of computers which were such a key part of the work at Bletchley Park in cracking the Enigma Code. This was together with their more easily understood role of letter and parcel work, a vital part of the nation’s morale.
The GPO were one of the original contributors to the National Memorial Arboretum but their memorial garden had become tired and its few old postboxes failed to reflect the important work that the GPO had done. That was why Peter choose to design an expansive panoramic wall of nineteen large glass panels with photographic images which helps to get across the variety and importance of their work - from WW1 trenches to the London Blitz.
