A competition was organised on behalf of the British Government to design a memorial commemorating 25 years of armed conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under the chairmanship of Lords Stirrup, Walker and Boyce for the Armed Forces, and guided by the then President of the Royal Academy, Sir Christopher LeBrun PPRA, the Memorial Committee selected my design to be built outside the Ministry of Defence in Westminster, London. The project took less than eighteen months to complete.
Part of the challenge of this memorial was to create an image that did not appear triumphalist nor overly sombre. It was built to recognise the duty, service and sacrifice given by men and women from both the Armed Forces and the Civilian Services during these difficult and somewhat controversial episodes. The design pivots around a monumental medallion which represents, on one side, the use of military force, and on the other, the diplomatic efforts to rebuild and stabilise those two countries.
The unveiling brought together over two thousand service men and women of all different ranks and regiments alongside numerous prime ministers and politicians and , of course, many members of The Royal Family.
