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Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo

1923 sculpturesBuildings and structures in ColomboCenotaphsPublic art stubsSri Lankan military memorials and cemeteries
War memorials by Edwin LutyensWorld War II memorialsWorld War I memorials
Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo
Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo

The Cenotaph War Memorial in Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo, Sri Lanka is a war memorial dedicated to the military personnel from Ceylon killed in action during the two world wars. It was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. It comprises a towering Cenotaph and Memorial Walls. The foundation stone was laid by Brigadier General Sir William Henry Manning, Governor of Ceylon on December 7, 1921, and was unveiled by him October 27, 1923 at the Galle Face Green and was known as the Victory tower. It was dismantled and re-erected at Victoria Park, during World War II after fears that the Japanese might use it as a marker to direct their artillery. The Cenotaph contains the names of those killed in the Great War, while the Memorial Wall behind it maintains the names of those killed in the Second World War. A single woman, Miss L. Midwood is listed among the dead of the Great War. An annual National Service of Remembrance is held at the site on Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to 11 November (Armistice Day) each year.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo
Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo TownHall

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N 6.91296 ° E 79.85841 °
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Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha
00300 Colombo, TownHall
Western Province, Sri Lanka
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Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo
Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo
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Nearby Places

Viharamahadevi Park
Viharamahadevi Park

Viharamahadevi Park (Sinhala: විහාරමහාදේවී උද්‍යානය; formerly Victoria Park, Sinhala: වික්ටෝරියා පාක්) is a public park located in Cinnamon Gardens, in Colombo, situated in front of the colonial-era Town Hall in Sri Lanka. It was built by the British colonial administration and is the oldest and largest park of Colombo. The park was originally named "Victoria Park" after Queen Victoria but was renamed after Queen Viharamahadevi, the mother of King Dutugamunu on July 18, 1958.During World War II it was occupied by the British Army with Australian 17th Brigade based at Victoria Park. After the war the park was restored and open to the public in 1951. There used to be a cricket ground in the park, which was used for first-class cricket between 1927 and 1995. Ceylon played against a touring English team there in 1927 and against an Australian team in 1935. The park features include a huge Buddha statue which replaced the statue of Queen Victoria which originally stood there, and a series of water fountains. It also includes a mini zoo, a children's play area and a BAC Jet Provost. There are Muscovy ducks in the park. They swim in the artificial lake and walk on the grass beside it.Viharamahadevi Park is the only large-scale public park in Colombo, and is maintained by the Colombo Municipal Council. Located at its western end is the Cenotaph War Memorial, Colombo and the Colombo Public Library. The Vihara Maha Devi Park Open Air Stadium is a venue for concerts and public events.