Erection date: 30/5/2018
{On a plaque at the base of the sculpture:}
This is a memorial to all those now deceased who have worked on behalf of the Thames Tidal Defences. This includes former employees, colleagues and suppliers who contributed to our work over many years.
We also remember those who lost their lives during the construction of the Thames Barrier and associated defences.
We hope that this will provide a place for the family and friends of all those recognised here to reflect and remember, with affection, their loved ones.
In particular we acknowledge those who passed away whilst they were based at the Thames Barrier:
Charles 'Wag' Champion
Martyn Rowson
Amarjit 'Ammo' Sanger
This memorial was designed by a team led by senior technical advisor Jas Dhariwal, with materials coming from firms who already supply the barrier team. The inspiration for the sculpture is clearly the shape of the barrier piers, one of which (we were pleased to see) can be glimpsed through the trees at the left of our photo.
The uprights at either end of the central sculpture each carry a symbol in pierced dots: an arrow and a cross. We wonder if these have some particular meaning - they remind us of the 'gone home' symbol used on Paddington and St Marylebone Boy Scouts WW2 memorial.
The wording seems oddly repetitive and on first reading we wondered if people had been killed during the construction which would make this a sad addition to our list of memorials for people killed at work. But we can find no evidence of any such deaths associated with the Thames Barrier. The construction took 10 years and naturally peopled died during that time. Those are the people this memorial commemorates.
Site: Thames Tidal Defences memorial (1 memorial)
SE7, Westmoor Street, Thames Barrier Control Centre
Following 1953’s catastrophic flooding work began on the Thames Barrier in 1974. It opened in 1984.
If you plan to visit this memorial and you are not in a vehicle, take our advice - approach it from the Riverside walk/cycleway, not Westmoor Street - which is a very, very unpleasant walk.
Sources include: Charlton Champion.
