Memorial details

Memorial type
Sculptured / Cast figure
District
Lambeth
Town
Lambeth
County
Greater London
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945), VC or GC Recipients
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 4th October 2009
    Attended by: DUKE OF WELLINGTON KG
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
57804

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Current location

On grass ridge between Queens Walk and Lambeth Palace Road north of Lambeth Bridge.
Albert Embankment
Lambeth Palace Road
Lambeth
Lambeth
Greater London
SE1 7JT
England

OS Grid Ref: TQ 30550 79101
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
Square base surmounted by plinth with bust of Violette Szabo. Three plaques are attached to the plinth and one to the base. Whole stands on paved area with a low walled ramped pathway. It should be noted that this is a memorial to all SOE agents and not only Violette Szabo whose image is used for the bust.
Inscription
West Face: S.O.E/ THE/ SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE/ WAS SECRETLY FORMED FOR THE PURPOSE OF/ RECRUITING AGENTS, MEN AND WOMEN OF/ MANY NATIONALITIES WHO WOULD VOLUNTEER/ TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,/ BY PERFORMING ACTS OF SABOTAGE IN/ COUNTRIES OCCUPIED BY THE ENEMY DURING/ THE SECOND WORLD WAR./ THIS MONUMENT IS IN HONOUR/ OF ALL THE COURAGEOUS S.O.E AGENTS:/ THOSE WHO DID SURVIVE AND THOSE WHO DID/ NOT SURVIVE THEIR PERILOUS MISSIONS./ THEIR SERVICES WERE/ BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY/ In the Pages of History/ THEIR NAMES ARE/ CARVED WITH PRIDE North Face: THE HEROES OF TELEMARK/ IN 1943 NORWEGIAN RESISTANCE COMMANDOS/ SPONSORED BY THE S.O.E/ RAIDED THE ENEMY OCCUPIED NORSK HYDRO PLANE/ IN THE TELEMARK REGION OF NORWAY./ THIS SUCCESSFUL RAID SABOTAGED THE/ MACHINERY THAT WAS PRODUCING HEAVY WATER/ WHICH IS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF/ THE ATOMIC BOMB./ THANKS TO THOSE HEROIC NORWEGIAN COMMANDOS/ THE ENEMY'S ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP/ THE ATOMIC BOMB WAS THWARTED. South Face: THE MAQUIS/ FRENCH RESISTANCE FIGHTERS/ 470 S.O.E AGENTS WERE SENT ON SABOTAGE MISSIONS TO/ OCCUPIED FRANCE WHERE THEY FOUGHT WITH/ NETWORKS OF FRENCH RESISTANCE FIGHTERS WHO/ PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN/ THE LIBERATION OF FRANCE IN 1944./ VIOLETTE SZABO/ 1921-1945/ WHOSE SCULPTURE IS ON THIS PLINTH AND WHO WAS/ POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE GEORGE CROSS AND/ THE CROIX DE GUERRE, WAS AMONG THE 117 S.O.E. AGENTS WHO/ DID NOT SURVIVE THEIR MISSIONS TO FRANCE. West Face, Base: (List of Donors)
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Szabo, Violette
See details
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Forename, surname, year of birth, year of death, decorations
    Order of information: Undefined
  • VC or GC Recipients
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, forename, year of birthm, year of death, decorations
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Figure
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Plaques
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Plinth
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
  • Base
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Trustees of the Public Memorials Appeal
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-57804

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