10th June was my last day driving on my USA trip. I drove from Flagstaff to Las Vegas. I stopped off at the Hoover Dam, and also called in at the glass bridge over the grand canyon (big disappointment).
It was a long drive, and I was glad to hit the hotel in Las Vegas.
There has been a lot of talk about controversial monuments recently. I’m not somebody that stares at statues of people to say “what an evil/amazing person”. I think the only monuments to people I have deliberately gone to see are the 10 modern martyrs in Westminster. Oh and the Ken Dodd statue in Liverpool Lime Street.
That isn’t to say I don’t look at statues – I look at them for their art.
But I started thinking about memorials I have visited. I have to admit the more controversial ones are the ones that have made most impact on me.
There are controversial memorials. One that I learned a lot from is Mauthausen.
Estimates are that around 100,000 died there, but the records were destroyed. One of the things that I learned as I walked around was how close the local community was to the camp – how there was no way this was a secret to the locals. It shocked me that normal people could end up finding a place like this permissible. We are not talking about the evil guards, we are talking about local farmers, school teachers and even priests.
In France there is a memorial called La Coupole. It is an old V2 rocket base that has been transformed in to a museum.
Inside there are an amazing number of displays, including some describing the way concentration camp prisoners were used in the construction. One display talks about the development of rockets for space exploration, the two above representing the USA and the Soviet Union efforts. Between them is a clear panel so you can see through to the uniform of a concentration camp prisoner. Alongside the display is an explanation (and naming) of the V2 experts that helped develop the USA and Soviet rockets, and their involvement in the mistreatment of concentration camp prisoners.
These evil men were still living lives of luxury in their new home during my lifetime. I remember the excitement of the first Moon landing. The chief architect of that rocket had known that concentration camp prisoners were being killed to further his work. I think if I knew that as a kid I might not have felt so excited. Thanks to the French for such an enlightening display.
Then there is one of my favourite memorials – the Valentine submarine building in Farge in Germany.
It really is an impressive structure. It was designed to build U-boats, and 13 could fit inside. They have an audio tour of the site, and as you go round you can learn a lot. They even have audio recordings of the people involved in building the structure – some concentration camp prisoners.
Have a look at some of the plaques they have around the site.
The last two were particularly pointed. One shows that the locals here tried to get food to the prisoners. The other is a very pointed, almost accusation, of a named person. I found the whole attitude of the site was one of “we never want to see this again”.
Another memorial I have visited recently is this one.
It looks pretty plain, pretty bland. This is one of the few remaining memorials from the time of the Spanish Civil war from the anti-fascist side. When Franco took over he made a point of removing all of the memorials (including graves) that represented his opposition.
Something we have never really dealt with in the UK is what we do about history we don’t like. At the national memorial arboretum (well worth a visit if you get the chance) there is a memorial called “shot at dawn”.
This memorial is to all of the soldiers shot for desertion. Walking around you see that many were young men, and there does seem to be a lack of anybody with a senior rank. An unsavoury part of our history that we are finally able to face up to.
I actually appreciated a memorial that shone a light on our less glorious past. It gave me an opportunity to remember – especially those that suffered.
Another good place to learn about the less savoury past is this museum.