Earlier today I clicked over to Julia’s Place and saw a picture of a bench she had posted. It didn’t look very comfortable to me, but certainly seemed to fit the bill for a photo challenge set up by Jude for pictures of benches with unusual details.
I don’t join in with many challenges, but it so happened that yeserday I photographed a bench in Winchester, just outside the castle, which meets the criteria.
A Promise Honoured
Information about the background to the project and the title can be found here.
“In a contemporary book on the work of the American Red Cross (1919) it had been noted that a Memorial in Winchester Cathedral had been planned and promised for the American soldiers. No memorial was installed and the present project is a way of addressing that omission.”
There is more information here. The bench was unveiled in June last year.
“Simon Smith’s brief was not to create a standard memorial, but something to represent those who had passed through the camp. The memorial sensitively shows the kit as if it has been left on the seat- but where is the soldier now?”
Isobel (and Cat)'s Blog 
Oh, thank you for sharing this picture and the story behind it. That is one very special bench. I wonder if anyone actually sits ion it?
Indeed they do. I had to take my photo quickly before two women sat on it.
This is a lovely memorial on so many levels. After a while, the standard ones become, well, too standard and not as noticeable.
Noticeable or thought provoking?
Very thought provoking, Simon Smith did a great job.
My cousin Russell, a sculptor whose site is listed on my blogroll, studied at the same university. He also does a great deal of community projects. I should ask him if it is a particular strength at Winchester.
Beautiful. There is a memorial in Weymouth with the same clean sharp lines. Love it.
It’s very poignant, I think. I am tempted to acll it a cenotaph.
It’s very moving Isobel. I can see why you would do this challenge. It is a beautiful memorial.
It is isn’t it. Reading your comment reminded me why I don’t join with challenges regularly. They start to dictate the week in a way I don’t like.
I have to agree with you. I used to join in with several challenges until I realised that my posts were being driven by them and there was little room for what I wanted to post. So I have stepped back. The bench one came by popular requests 🙂
Thanks Jude. Oddly enough, I may have another entry for this month’s challenge. Generally, i find challenges tyrannical. And awards are even worse!
I have award free blogs for that reason, and since I put up the logo no-one has given me one so it works! If you have a bench you’d like to share then that’s great – I found I had so many bench images that I decided I’d post one a week this year to try and get them out of my system. Big fail. I still notice benches and still can’t resist taking photos of them! But the challenge will end! My obsession with them probably won’t 😉
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Making the memorial on a bench is inspirational.
That’s a very special bench. Truly beautiful. It reminds me a little of our Seaham soldier memorial, Tommy. https://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/jos-monday-walk-seaham-tommy/