Dunkirk Memorial
The Dunkirk Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial to the missing that commemorates 4,505 missing dead of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), most of whom fell prior to and during the Battle of Dunkirk in 1939 and 1940, in the fall of France during the Second World War.
| Dunkirk Memorial | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
One of the rows of screen walls making up the memorial | |
| For the missing of the British Expeditionary Force | |
| Unveiled | 29 June 1957 |
| Location | 51.0303°N 2.3897°E Dunkirk, France |
| Designed by | Philip Hepworth (architect) John Hutton (glass engraver) |
| Commemorated | 4,505 |
English: Here beside the graves of their comrades are commemorated the soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force who fell in the campaign of 1939–1940 and have no known grave. French: Ici à côté des tombes de leurs camarades sont commémorés les soldats du corps expéditionnaire britannique morts au cours de la campagne 1939–1940 et qui n'ont pas de tombe connue. | |
| Statistics source: Cemetery details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. | |
Located in the town cemetery of Dunkirk, France, the design by Commission architect Philip Hepworth features memorial panels, a shrine in the form of a shelter, and an engraved glass pane by John Hutton. Those commemorated include soldiers lost on ships sunk during the evacuation, as well as a recipient of the Victoria Cross.
The memorial was completed some 17 years after the events it marks. It was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1957, in front of visiting dignitaries, and hundreds of veterans and relatives of those who died. Later commemorations held here include the 75th anniversary in 2015.