Category Archives: Monuments and Shrines

Commando Memorial (Scotland, U.K.)

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Commando Memorial

Part of Scottish Highland Tour

From Fort Augustus, we all boarded our coach for the 256-km. (3.5-hour) drive back to Edinburgh.  After 30 mins. (34.6 kms.), we made a stopover at the Commando Memorial, one of Scotland’s best-known monuments, both as a war memorial and as a tourist attraction offering views of Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr.

Check out “Fort Augustus”

This Category A listed monument in Lochaber, Scotland, dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II, overlooks the training areas of the former Achnacarry Commando Training Depot established in 1942 at Achnacarry Castle.

The original plaque on the stone plinth

Chosen because it is on the route from Spean Bridge railway station, arriving prospective Commandos would disembark, after a 14-hour journey, load their kit bags onto waiting trucks and then speed-march the 11 kms. (7 mi.) to the training centre in full kit with weapon, weighing a total of 16 kgs. (36 lbs.). Anyone not completing it within 60 minutes was immediately RTU’d (returned to unit).

A plaque, added on November 18, 1993, to mark the Freedom of Lochaber being given to the Commando Association.

The memorial was used as site for memorial services, including the 60th anniversary of D-Day, and Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Here’s the historical timeline of the memorial:

  • In 1949, the sculptor Scott Sutherland won a competition, open to all Scottish sculptors, for the commission of The Commando Memorial. Sutherland’s design won the first prize of £200. It was cast by H. Martyn & Co. of Cheltelham.
  • On September 27, 1952, the monument was officially unveiled by the Queen Mother.
  • On October 5, 1971, the monument was first designated as a listed
  • On August 15, 1996, it was upgraded to a Category A listing.
  • On March 27, 2010 a 3-km. (2 mi.) long war memorial path was opened connecting two local war memorials, the Commando Memorial, and the former High Bridge built by General Wade, where the first shots were fired in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 in the Highbridge Skirmish.
  • On November 18, 1993 a further plaque was added, setting out the story of the Commandos for future generations, to mark the Freedom of Lochaber being given to the Commando Association.

Award-winning Scottish sculptor Scott Sutherland,  born on May 15, 1910 in Wick, Highland, was schooled at Gray’s School of Art, the Edinburgh College of Art and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After touring Europe and winning two out of the five open commissions offered for the Empire Exhibition, he served in the Army during World War II, working alongside commandos. In 1947, after the war, he took the post of Head of Sculpture at Duncan of Jordanstone’ College. In 1950, Sutherland was elected ARSA (Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy) and, in 1961, as Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (FRBS ). In 1975, he retired, and died nine years later, on October 10, 1984, in a hospital in Dundee. Sutherland also later created the Black Watch Memorial at Powrie Brae in Dundee, and the memorial to Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding, who was Air Officer Commanding, RAF Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain, at his birthplace of Moffat.

Scott Sutherland commemorative plaque

The 5.2 m. (17 ft.) tall monument, variously described as a huge, striking and iconic statue, consists of a cast bronze sculpture of three Commandos, in characteristic dress (complete with cap comforter, webbing and rifle), standing atop a stone plinth looking south towards Ben Nevis. The soldier at the front is thought to depict Commando Jack Lewington who frequently attended Remembrance Services at the monument during his lifetime. One of the other two soldiers is Frank Nicholls (rank unknown). The other soldier is Regimental Sergeant Major Sidney Hewlett who originally served with the Welsh Guards. He was handpicked to be one of the founding NCOs of the commandos, and was also held in high regard and noted several times by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The base of the bronze statue is inscribed with the date of 1951.

Inscribed around the top of the stone plinth is “United we conquer” while the original plaque on the stone plinth reads: “In memory of the officers and men of the commandos who died in the Second World War 1939–1945. This country was their training ground.”

A Garden of Remembrance, which was subsequently added to the site, is used by many surviving World War II Commandos as the designated final resting place for their ashes. It has also been used as a place where many families have scattered ashes and erected tributes to loved ones who belonged to contemporary Commando units and who have died in more recent conflicts such as the Falklands War or in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Garden for Tributes

Commando Memorial: Spean Bridge, Lochaber, Scottish Highlands, PH34 4EG, United Kingdom.  Coordinates: 56°53′52.42″N 4°56′38.51″W.

How to Get There: the memorial is located approximately 1.5 kms. (1 mi.) northwest of Spean Bridge, at the junction of the A82 road and the B8004 road.

Nasugbu Landing Monument (Batangas)

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Nasugbu Landing Monument

This monument, along the 4-km. long beachfront, across the street from the Nasugbu Tourism/Information Office, includes a memorial and plaques commemorating the Nasugbu amphibious landings, in January 1945, 5 AM, of 8,000 men of the 11th Airborne Division, that were part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s Luzon campaign to capture Manila, aided by guerilla units (ROTC Hunters, Blue Eagle, Fil-American, LICOPA and CAGALAC guerillas).

It commemorates the heroic joint operations of Filipino-American forces involved in the Allied Landing in this area which paved the way for the liberation of South Manila and South Luzon, in general, and Nasugbu in particular, on the January 31, 1945.

The author (left) and his son Jandy

The monument consists of the statues of Lt.-Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger (Eighth United States Army Commander), Maj.-Gen. Joseph M. Swing (11th Airborne Division Commander) and Rear-Admiral William M. Fechteler (Group VIII Phib Commander), walking onshore out of an amphibious landing craft, resembling a LCM-3 (Landing Craft Mechanized MK3, they were about 50 ft. long), with an explanatory plaque in the front.

A second marker, a National Historical Institute (NHI) marker installed in 2007, is located on a concrete pedestal at the rear part of the monument inside the well deck of the replica landing boat.

The plaque in front

The English text, on the plaque in front of the monument, reads:

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF NASUGBU

FIRST DISTRICT BATANGAS

VETERANS FEDERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

PHILIPPINE VETERANS LEGION

(FIRST BATANGAS VETERANS ASSOCIATION)

In

AMERICAN FORCES

U.S. Eight Army Lt. Gen R. EICHELBERGER, CG

11th Airborne Div.  US Army, Lt. Gen. Joseph SWING, CG

Group VIII ‘Phib- Rear Admiral FECHTELER

FILIPINO FORCES

Col Terry Magtauggol Adevoso, Overall Commander

47th (ROTC) Division – Hunters Guerillas

Calixto Gaglino (Hunters- ROTC) Organizer of

Filipino-American Irregular Troops with

Francisco Orlondo, Mariano Madrid, Miguel David

With the Support of Independent Units:

Filipino American Irregular Troops, Col T. Enriquez, CO 2nd Reg.

Filipino-American Irregular Troops, Col Clemente U. Baum, Co, 1st Reg.

This MEMORIA is dedicated by the Municipal Government of Nasugbu,

Batangas, …… On the 47th Anniversary of the ALLIED LANDING

On the 31st of January 1992.

 

The second historical plaque, written in Filipino, is translated as:

In this area the soldiers of the 1st Battalion and the 188th , 11th Airborne Division led by Lt. General Robert Eichelberger, landed on January 31, 1945. The Filipino guerrillas led by Lieutenant-Colonel Marcelo Castillo and Colonel Eleuterio L. Adevoso served as the Filipino leaders alongside of the American army.

The National Historical Institute (NHI) plaque installed in 2007

Nasugbu Landing Monument: 63 Apacible Blvd., Nasugbu, Batangas. Coordinates: 14.07139°N 120.62513594012702°E.

Quezon Memorial Shrine (Quezon City, Metro Manila

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Quezon Memorial Shrine

The Quezon Memorial Shrine (Filipino: Pambansang Pang-alaalang Dambana ni Quezon), a triangle-shaped, Art Deco-themed monument dedicated to former Philippine President Manuel Quezon, serves as the centerpiece within the grounds of the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Check out “Quezon Memorial Shrine” and “Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon”

 

Statue of Manuel Quezon

Statue of Manuel Quezon historical plaque

Here’s the historical timeline of the memorial:

  • On December 17, 1945, it was established by virtue of Executive Order No. 79 signed by then-President Sergio Osmeña.
  • In 1951, a national contest for the Quezon Memorial Project was held and architect Federico Ilustre‘s design won. Aside from the monument itself, also planned to be erected were a complex of three auxiliary structures (presidential library, museum, and theater) which were never built.
  • In 1952, the Bureau of Public Works commenced the construction of the monument
  • Between 1957 and 1958, the monument was completed
  • On September 24, 1972, the monument was placed under the jurisdiction of the National Historical Institute through Presidential Decree No.1 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos .
  • On January 14, 1974, the monument was formally designated as a national shrine.
  • On August 19, 1978 (the 100th anniversary of Quezon’’s birth), the memorial was inaugurated.
  • On August 1, 1979, the remains of former President Manuel Quezon was transferred to a mausoleum at the foot of the monument at the Quezon Memorial Shrine from the Manila North Cemetery.
  • In 1989, 31 marble bas reliefs on Philippine history and the life of Pres. Quezón, created by the father and son team of Manuel and Ron Casal, were installed around the base of the memorial.
  • On April 28, 2005, the 26th anniversary of her assassination, the remains of Quezon’s wife Aurora Aragon Quezon, were likewise transferred to the shrine from the Manila North Cemetery.
  • On March 12, 2020, the shrine was recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as a National Cultural Treasure (NCT)
  • In December 2021, the declaration was made public.

The 66-m. (217-ft.) shrine, representing Quezon’s age when he died from tuberculosis stands, on a 36-hectare elliptical lot. Its observation deck (currently not open to the public), with a panoramic view of the city, is accessed via a spiral staircase (now an elevator) from the bottom of the structure and can accommodate 60 people at the top.

Historical Plaque of the shrine

At the top of the three towering, connected pylons (covered with white Carrara marble from Italy) are The Three Muses, stone mourning winged angels (representing the three main island groups of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao), sculpted by the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Clementi Monti (1888-1958), with their heads bowed (as if mourning Quezon) and holding sampaguita (Jasminum sambac, the national flower) wreaths. The flower symbolizes purity and fidelity as it root words sumpa kita means “I promise you.”

The Three Muses

The regional identity of each female angel figure could be discerned from the distinctive and traditional baro’t saya (blouse and skirt) combination they were clothed with.  For of Luzon, the muse is wearing a traje de mestiza, with an embroidered pañuelo (shawl) worn over her camisa (blouse).

For the Visayas, the muse is wearing a kimona (blouse) with short “butterfly” shoulders, and an alampay (kerchief) draped over her shoulder. For Mindanao, the muse is wearing a tight fitting biyatawi (blouse) with a patadyong (skirt) wrapped over the sawal (trousers), and a kambut (sash) draped across her chest.

Quezon’s catafalque

The three pylons would, in turn, circumscribe a drum-like, two-storey structure containing a gallery from which visitors could look down at Quezon’s catafalque (modeled after Napoleon Bonaparte’s in the Invalides), elevated on a marble plinth in the center.

Check out “L’Hotel des Invalides”

The oculus

The gallery and the catafalque below are lit by an oculus (in turn reminiscent of Grant’s Tomb) surrounded by three heads of carabaos believed to have also been sculpted by Monti and mounted in 1958. The tomb of his wife First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon is in a niche on the side of the room.

Tomb of First Lady Aurora Quezon

On the second level, above the circular crypt, is a 3.35 m. high statue of Quezon (originally located outside the memorial) atop a 4.26 m. high marble pedestal sculpted by the late National Artist Guillermo Tolentino and installed in 1978, depicting Quezon delivering his fiery speech when he was elected president of the Commonwealth.

Statue of Manuel Quezon (Guillermo Tolentino)

Pietro “Piero” Amberti, an architect and marble mason from Torino (Italy) who had settled in the Philippines, was hired by former Quezon City Mayor Tomas Morato, to beautify the monument with Carrara marble. Morató also hired Arch. Anselmo T. Alquinto (born 1905) to design the landscaping of the park. Morato’s successors replaced the Italian marbles with locally sourced marble.

Some of the 31 marble bas reliefs on Philippine history and the life of Pres. Quezón, created by the father and son team of Manuel and Ron Casal

Installed within the Shrine itself are two small museums, one containing the presidential memorabilia of Quezon (Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon) at its base, and the other containing items on the history of Quezon City.

Check out “Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon”

Entrance to the Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon

Quezon Memorial Shrine: Quezon Memorial Circle, Elliptical Road, Diliman,  Quezon City, Metro Manila. Coordinates: 14°39′05.1″N 121°02′57″E.

Memorial Visitor’s Center (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

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Memorial Visitor’s Center

The 11,000 sq. ft., nearly US$5,000,000, 2-level,interpretative  Memorial Visitor’s Center, nestled and partially built into a hillside,  was designed by Corpus Christi, Texas–based Richter Architects to complement and enhance the experience of visiting the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Opened last October 20, 2019, the 75th anniversary of the return of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, it provides historic orientation to visitors from all over the world and amplifies the powerful message implicit in the largest American military cemetery on foreign soil.

Check out “Manila American Cemetery and Memorial”

The visitor center was planned so that, from the monument atop the hill, its roof line would be at eye level, with most of the building extending down and beyond view. Its low-key design minimized the mass of the new cast-in-place concrete structure and did not compete with the memorial or cemetery and detract from the serene landscape.

Scaled Model of Manila American Cemetery and Memorial

Much of the center’s exterior is high-performance thermal glass, designed to withstand typhoons, while the rest was clad in horizontal panels of Italian travertine, to appear more “of the earth as well as contrast with the similar sand-colored vertical slabs of the stone used for the chapel and the monument. Other exterior materials include white-painted steel, aluminum, and plaster.

Flat, concrete slab floors and roof and its shallow steel framing aim to keep the structure as transparent and unobtrusive as possible. Its expanse of glass connects the interior with the surrounding landscape while elements of limestone on its façade reference the existing monument and gravestones.

I entered the center, directly across from the chapel, from ground level, before descending from the lobby to the lower level through an open staircase, which preserves the sight line to the chapel outside. Teak, a traditional material in Southeast Asia, was used for the ceilings, stairs and as wall cladding throughout the interior.   The lower-level windows are screened with louvers, allowing diffused daylight inside while focusing attention toward the crosses in the landscape outside.

Visual aids depicting the American Era

Main exhibit hall

Downstairs, it houses the main gallery which explains, in great detail, the many battles (Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Peleliu, Bismarck Archipelago, Guam, Wake Island,Tarawa Island, Leyte, etc.) within the Western Pacific during World War II via powerful, graphic and searing photos accompanied by clear, hard hitting descriptions that show the extent of the true horror that was caused.

Peleliu (The Forgotten Island Assault) and Devastation (Manila in Ruins)

Tarawa Island Assault and Bataan Death March

Through letters and artifacts, it also shares the stories of several fallen soldiers (Pvt. Bernard Steenwyk, Lt. George H. Freed, 1st Lt. Alexander R. Nininger Jr., Ens. Frank E. Cook and T. Sgt. Charles Steiskal), prisoners-of-war (Pvt. Anthony Smith, PFC Jack Brady, PFC Domingo Balod and Lt. Robert Fulton), soldiers missing in action (Brig.-Gen. Vicente Lim, TM2-C. Andrew J. Kirskey and 2nd Lt. Earl R. Stone), soldiers missing in action and later identified (Pvt. Bud Kelder) and the Navajo Code Talkers of the US Marine Corps.

Alexander Nininger Jr. (1st Lt., US Army) – killed in action near Abucay, Bataan on January 12, 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an assault on Japanese positions. He was the first American army soldier to be so honored in the Second World War

Brig.-Gen. Vicente Lim (Bataan Survivor and Patriot) – a World War II hero, Lim was the first Filipino graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (Class of 1914).

Visual aids also illustrate life and events during the American Era (Under Foreign Rule, Americans in the Philippines, Economic Independence, Philippine Commonwealth, Peacetime Draft), the preparation for war (American Reinforcements, Mobilizing the Military, Recruiting and Training), the Japanese Invasion (Battle of the Philippines, Manila Under Attack, the Bataan Death March, POWs) and the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines (Society Under Siege, the Civilian Internees of Santo Tomas, the Resistance  Movement, Resistance Networks) and the Liberation of the Philippines (Leyte Landing, the Liberation of Manila, Rescue the POW Camps).

Battle of the Philippines (Initial Landing and Main Attack)

Bataan Death March

Also illustrated are the burial and identification process of remains (Emergency Battlefield Burials, Grave Markers, Temporary Cemeteries, Graves Registration, Identification of Remains); the  American Battle Monuments Commission (History and Mission, List of Cemeteries and Memorials around the world) and the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (The Site, A Respectful Setting, Construction, The Memorial, The Memorials and Mosaic Maps, Honors to the Fallen).

Temporary Cemeteries (Morale on the Battlefield and A Permanent Burial Site (A Family Tradition)

Quartermaster General letter to the next of kin of deceased

Artifacts on display include Coke bottles and various calibers of World War II ordnance recovered on the Memorial site; a personal effects bag used by the Graves Commission to collect deceased personal belongings; a Quartermaster General’s letter to the next of kin of deceased, standard ration toilet paper and water purification tablet; an M1 Garand rifle, a standard issue aluminum canteen used by US Forces; a KA-BAR Fighting Utility Knife; the decorated mess kit used by Pvt. Anthony Smith during his time as a Japanese POW, medals (Philippine Defense Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal and Philippine Independence Medal), a US War Ration Book and money used by Filipinos during the Japanese Occupation.

KA-BAR Fighting Utility Knife

M1 Garand Rifle

Also on display is a scaled model of the USS Bayfield attack transport and the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Medals

Standard issue aluminum canteen used by US Forces

The 50-seat theater features a short, 17-min, thought-provoking. documentary film which focuses on the sacrifices of American and Filipino soldiers during World War II in the country and in the whole Pacific.  The center also houses an administration and reception area and support functions.

Theater

Memorial Visitor’s Center: American Memorial Cemetery and Memorial, 1634 McKinley Rd, Taguig City 1634, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 8844-0212, (02) 8813-2521 and (02) 8894-3963. Fax: (02) 8812-4717.  E-mail: supt@abmc-ar.org. Website:  www.abmc.gov/Manila. Open daily (except December 25 and January 1), 9 AM to 5 PM..  Coordinates: 14.541°N 121.050°E. Admission is free but a valid photo ID is required for entrance to the cemetery.

How to Get There: The American Memorial Cemetery is located at the junction between McKinley Road and Nichols Field Road, about 11 kms.  southeast of the center of Manila.  It can be reached most easily from the city via EDSA to McKinley Road, then to McKinley Parkway inside the Bonifacio Global City. The Nichols Field Road is the easiest access from Manila International Airport to the cemetery. The entrance to the cemetery is at the far (east) side of the large grassed circle just beyond the military sentinel’s post which is at the junction of Rizal Drive and Eighth Ave..

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

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Aerial view of Manila American Cemetery and Memorial

The 615,000 sq. m. (152-acre), sobering but serenely beautiful  Manila American Cemetery and Memorial (MACM), located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Metro Manila, is Asia’s version of Arlington National Cemetery.

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial up close

It is the largest of 26 cemeteries and 29 memorials, monuments and markers in 16 countries built and administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission, both in area and number of graves, and the only American oversea cemetery in the Pacific.

Entrance Gate

My visit came on just five days before  Memorial Day (celebrated on the last Monday of May, this year on May 29) which features a program spearheaded by the U.S. Embassy, the American Association of the Philippines, the American Battle Monuments Commission and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The circular fountain

However, there are few tourists around. On that day, American and Filipino flags are placed beside each of these marble headstones.  Today, this tranquil, park-like space, in the midst of bustling Taguig City, is a major tourist destination. The environment here, however, is beautiful and the atmosphere is solemn.

The east and west hemicycle with the tower in between

Located on a prominent, gently rising plateau, it within the boundaries of the former Fort William McKinley, on the edge of Makati, Manila’s main financial district, and is visible at a distance from the east, south and west.   On a clear day, from the memorial and other points within the cemetery, there are impressive views over the lowlands to Laguna de Bay and towards the distant mountains although the view is increasingly being obscured by the high rise buildings in nearby Fort Bonifacio.

Visitor’s Center

Immediately beyond the front gate is a circular fountain and the plaza.  To the right is the Visitors’ Building. Stretching from the plaza to the grassy terrace (known as the Memorial Court) is the central mall which is lined with mahogany trees (Swietenia macrophylla). Straight roads, along the edges of the mall, join circular roads leading eastward and westward through the graves area.

On April 1, 1948, the Philippine Government granted the US permission to establish a memorial cemetery on the site of Fort McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio).  Designed by Architect Gardner A. Dailey from San Francisco, construction started in 1948 by C.H. Concio and J.M. Bondoc Architects/Engineers/Planners.  The cemetery was finally dedicated on December 8, 1960.

Within are 17,206 graves of 16,636 personnel (from every state in the US and District of Columbia as well as from Panama, Guam, Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, China, England, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Finland, Jamaica, Burma and Peru)  killed during World War II alongside 570 Philippine Scouts who served with U.S, forces (plus one Commonwealth War Dead burial in World War I located in Plot G just below a line of 4 bronze plaques).

Valentine J. Miele (Water Tender 3C, USNR, New Jersey, January 16, 1945)

The number represents approximate 39% (the other 61% were returned home at the request of the next of kin) of the burials originally made in temporary cemeteries in New Guinea, the Philippines and other islands in the Southwest Area.

Thomas H. Morgan (Sgt. HQ SO 19 Bomb Group H, Oklahoma, July 16, 1942)

Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New Guinea, or during the epic defense during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) and East Indies and the long but victorious return of American forces through the vast island chain up to the Allied recapture of the islands.

A headstone with the Star of David among Latin Crosses

The solid white marble (the majority quarried and fabricated from Lasa or Carrara in Italy and more than a 100 from Romblon, Philippines) headstones, all in a straight line, mark each grave mostly with a Latin Cross (with a Star of David for 166 others of the Jewish faith). They are simply inscribed with the name, rank, branch of service, home state and date of death of the one interred.

The headstones are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.   The grass (Zoysia matrella) there was propagated from two square yards of sod shipped in 1951 from the US Department of Agriculture Experimental Station at Beltsville, Maryland.

Chapel

The rear facade of the chapel

A 60 ft. high, white masonry tower, enriched with sculpture and mosaic, stands near the center of the cemetery. Its exterior has a bas-relief of superimposed groups, designed by Boris Lovet Lorski of New York City and executed by Filipino Cecchetti (who also furnished the stone for the memorial), portraying a young American warrior, symbolized by St. George, fighting a dragon in jungle characteristic of the Pacific islands.

The monumental bas-relief

Above them are the personifications of ideals which he fought for – Liberty, Justice and Country.  At the very zenith of the relief stands Columbia (a symbol of the United States) and a child that symbolizes the future.  The rear façade is inscribed with “Take unto thyself O Lord the souls of the valiant.”

Interior of chapel

Bronze grill doors open into the small devotional chapel dedicated to St. George with stained glass windows and an altar, crafted from Pentato di Sicilia marble, where you can kneel and pray.  To the left is an Episcopal prayer set in gold tesserae.  The prie-dieu and benches are made with narra while the altar ornaments are made of bronze.

The female figure on a blue background and flanked by stained glass windows

Above is an unnamed, tall and graceful female figure (which reminded me of the Virgin Mary) scattering flowers in memory of the heroic dead, decorated with mosaic on a predominantly blue background, which is said to represent the motherly divine guidance of the One above.

 

Memorial Visitor’s Center

In front of the tower, on a wide terrace, are two large hemicycle structures, each with 24 pairs of fin walls.  Across, from the parking lot, is the Memorial Visitor’s Center.

Check out “Memorial Visitor’s Center”

East Hemicycle

On rectangular Trani (quarried near Bari on the east coast of Italy) limestone piers, within the hemicycles, are inscribed the Tablets of the Missing, grouped by Armed Service and arranged alphabetically from the south ends of each hemicycle, contain 36,284 names of people (32,532 Americans and 3,752 Philippine nationals) whose remains were never recovered or not identified.

West Hemicycle

The west hemicycle lists the missing servicemen from the Navy and Marines (its frieze, facing the Memorial Court, lists the Pacific battles waged by the Army and the Marines) while the east hemicycle lists the missing from, the Coast Guard and the Army and Army Air Force (it wasn’t established as a separate armed service until after the war) and part of the missing from the U.S. Marines.

Tablets of the Missing

A. Peter Dewey (1916–1945), an OSS officer killed in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) shortly after World War II ended, is listed on the Tablets of the Missing.   A bronze rosette (there are 433 as of latest count) marks the names of those who were subsequently found, recovered and identified while 3,660 headstones mark the graves of 7,744 “unknowns.”  Four bronze plaques mark graves containing multiple remains that could not be separately identified.

Before I got to the four rooms with the Tablets of the Missing, I passed by the walls where I found some of the 25 larger-than-life, 10 ft. high mosaic maps, designed by Margaret Bruton (from Carmel, California) and fabricated by P. Grassi American Terrazo Company of South San Francisco, recalling the timeline of how the World War II started and ended, recalling the actions of the United States Armed Forces in the Pacific, China, India and Burma.

Missing from the U.S. Marine Corp

The maps were made from tinted concrete, colored aggregates and mosaic inserts, with texts cast from plastic, while the borders of each map reflect the unique art patterns of the Pacific countries affected by the war.  Carved on the floors are the Great Seal of the United States and the seals of the States of the Union, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Great Seal of the State of Alabama

Great Seal of the State of Arizona

Twenty-nine Medal of Honor recipients are buried or memorialized at the American Memorial Cemetery. Medal of Honor recipients buried here are:

Missing from the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Air Force and U.S. Coast Gurad

Cenotaphs and memorial listings for Medal of Honor recipients include:

Map Room

Also honored are 20 sets of brothers lying next to one another including the five “Fighting Sullivan Brothers” (whose deaths influenced the creation of the Sole Survivor Policy) from Iowa who perished when the light cruiser USS Juneau was sunk by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-26 on November 13 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Defense of Southeast Asia (December 1941-May 1942)

Other notable people buried here include:

Defense of Luzon (December 8, 1941-May 6, 1942)

Every hour,between 9 AM and 5 PM, a carillon sounds to mark the hour and half hour.  At 5 PM, the carillon plays the national anthems of both the U.S. and the Philippines, followed by a volley of rifles and the playing of Taps. 

Luzon Campaign and Reoccupation of Manila

American Memorial Cemetery and Memorial: 1634 McKinley Rd, Taguig City 1634, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 8844-0212, (02) 8813-2521 and (02) 8894-3963. Fax: (02) 8812-4717.  E-mail: supt@abmc-ar.org. Website:  www.abmc.gov/Manila. Open daily (except December 25 and January 1), 9 AM to 5 PM..  Coordinates: 14.541°N 121.050°E. Admission is free but a valid photo ID is required for entrance to the cemetery.

How to Get There: The American Memorial Cemetery is located at the junction between McKinley Road and Nichols Field Road, about 11 kms.  southeast of the center of Manila.  It can be reached most easily from the city via EDSA to McKinley Road, then to McKinley Parkway inside the Bonifacio Global City. The Nichols Field Road is the easiest access from Manila International Airport to the cemetery. The entrance to the cemetery is at the far (east) side of the large grassed circle just beyond the military sentinel’s post which is at the junction of Rizal Drive and Eighth Ave..

Japanese Canadian War Memorial (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

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Japanese Canadian War Memorial

The Japanese Canadian War Memorial, a tribute to the Japanese-Canadian soldiers who fought in wars for Canada, was designed by James Benzie and was unveiled in Stanley Park on April 2, 1920. On August 2, 1985, a re-lighting of the memorial to Canadian soldiers of Japanese ancestry in World War I took place.

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Japanese Canadian Memorial Plaque

The memorial located on the south side of the Lumbermens’ Arch Picnic Area, close to the back side of the Vancouver Aquarium.  Nearby is the Miniature Train and Junior Forest Wardens Tree and plaque. Its cenotaph features the name of Japanese-Canadian soldiers who fought for Canada during the World War I, many of whom fought in the battles of Vimy Ridge and Arras Front in 1917.

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Plaque listing Japanese Killed While Serving with Canadian Expeditionary Force

This monument is in lasting memory of the 190 Japanese Canadian soldiers who answered the call of duty for Canada during World War I and to the 54 who laid down their lives in defense of freedom.  Their names are engraved on the monument.

Plaque listing Japanese Who Returned with Canadian Expeditionary Force

During World War I, Japanese-Canadians who wished to enlist as soldiers were not able to do so easily as they were not allowed to enlist at recruitment stations in British Columbia.  In 1916, many had to travel to Alberta to enlist with the Calgary Highlanders. They Japanese-Canadian soldiers later formed their own unit, the 10th Battalion. Seven of the soldiers in the 10th Battalion hailed from Raymond, Alberta and two (Kichimatsu Sugimoto and Teiji Suda) of those seven died during the war.

Centenary of Enlistment Plaque

Next to the memorial is a beautiful Japanese cherry tree that was planted at the time that the memorial was erected.  This tree blooms during spring.

Memorial Base

Japanese Canadian War Memorial:  Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  Coordinates: 49°18′04″N 123°07′55″W

Gomburza Monument (Manila)

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The day Jandy and I revisited the National Museum of Fine Arts just so happened to be the 150th anniversary of the martyrdom, by garrote, of the Filipino priests Fr. Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose Burgos and Fr. Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as Gomburza.  After our visit to the museum (to be continued on another day due to lack of time), we crossed Padre Burgos Ave. (named after one of the priests) to visit the Gomburza Monument.   The commemoration ceremony had already ended and what remained were the memorial wreaths that were laid.

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Gomburza Monument

In a system that favored and Spanish friars lopsidedly over locals, the three secular (diocesan) priests fought for equal treatment among priests. After the failed January 20, 1872 Cavite Mutiny (uprising of around 200 Filipino military personnel of Fort San Felipe, the Spanish arsenal in Cavite),  the Spanish colonial authorities sentenced three priest on false charges of of treason, sedition, and subversion on February 15. Two days later, they were executed by  garrote in Luneta. Their brutal deaths by garrote lit the flame of nationalism. National Hero José Rizal dedicated  El filibusterismo, his second novel, to the three martyrs. His two novels inspired the Philippine Revolution of 1896 leading to the declaration of independence on June 12, 1898.

Across the street, set elegantly against the green field and historic walls of Intramuros, is a low fountain, at the center of which is the stunning and massive bronze sculpture, by Modernist sculptor Solomon Saprid (1917 – 2003), of the three heroes.  The statue, commissioned in the 1970s to honor the three martyr priests, was originally located at Plaza Roma, in front of the Manila Cathedral, where it was inaugurated by then President Ferdinand Marcos on January 17, 1972.

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The bronze statue Gomburza by Solomon Saprid

A major figure in the visual arts, especially in sculpture, Saprid’s significant works can be found in some of the world’s most important institutions such as the 25 ft. long, 15 ft. wide and 9 ft. high “ASEAN Birds” in Chatunchak Park in Bangkok, a 5 ft. x 50 ft. mural in Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Building, the “Bull Cancer” fountain at the Triumph International in Germany, the “Statue of Christ” at the Indiana University Museum, and “Mother and Child,” a copper statue for the 1st Australian Biennale in Sydney presently in the collection of Westinghouse in Philadelphia to name a few.

In 1981, the sculpture was moved to its present location by the Intramuros Administration (IA). Soon, however, urban decline set in and the sculpture was vandalized, the pool was used for bathing and washing clothes, and the entire area became a hangout for the homeless, the ambulant vendor, and the occasional street drunk.

In 2017, upon clarification of the jurisdiction of the area, the Intramuros Administration reasserted it ownership over the area and, partnering with the National Museum of the Philippines, undertook a restoration project that would not only clean and improve the site for pedestrians, but also to give three national heroes, a stunning sculpture and its artist the honor and respect they deserve.

On August 2018, with a modest budget of P15 million, the herculean effort to improve the monument was launched to remove all the distractions to highlight Solomon Saprid’s Gomburza. Architect Jose Ramon Faustmann prepared the move by constructing a 20 x 20 m. pool where the sculpture would arise from the center.  The project was completed just before the pandemic began and the lockdown declared in 2020.

The statue and its backdrop – the National Museum of Fine Arts

On February 17, 2021, Saprid’s Gomburza was included in the elite list of National Monuments (only the seventh to be given that honor) by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The plaque installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2021

As part of the commemoration of the 150th year of the martyrdom of Frs. Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora, wreaths were laid, a historical marker was unveiled, and its new designation as a National Monument was announced.  Today, the expanse of the plaza, with its simple and clean design, is a safe and well-illuminated space to walk on. This outstanding landmark of Modernist Philippine art is also the perfect position to appreciate the Spanish-era fortification of Intramuros and the Neo-Classical architecture of the impressively restored National Museum of Fine Arts.

Gomburza Monument: Liwasang Gomburza, Padre Burgos Ave., Ermita, Manila 1002

Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine (San Juan City, Metro Manila)

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Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine

The 5-hectare (12-acre), historically significant Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine (Filipino: Pang-alaalang Dambana ng Pinaglabanan), a Filipino national shrine and park and war memorial, was built to commemorate the 1896 Battle of Pinaglabanan (translated as “battlefield”), the first major battle of the Philippine Revolution between Filipino revolutionaries and forces of the Spanish Empire, and the heroism of the Katipuneros who laid siege to Polvorín de Almacen, an armory belonging to the Spanish Colonial Government.

The author posing beside the “Eternal Flame” with the “Spirit of Pinaglabanan” in the background

On August 29, 1896, 800 Katipuneros marched towards the Spanish powder magazine or polvorin (known then as Almacen de Polvora) in San Juan del Monte which protected Manila’s water supply.  The first group, led by Katipunan Supremo Andrés Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, came from Mandaluyong.  The second group, led by Sancho Valenzuela, came from Santa Mesa.  Their strategy was to capture the reservoir and dry up the water supply to Manila.

Just before daylight, they rashly assaulted the forward sentry lines and besieged the Spanish garrison manned by 100 trained artillerists and infantrymen, well armed with the latest model Remingtons and Mauser breech-loading rifles.  Bonifacio and his men fought with bolos, bamboo lances, short-range hunting shotguns and several pistols.  The Spanish commander was killed and the rest of the garrison withdrew to El Deposito (the old Manila water reservoir).  A stalemate ensued.

The following morning, they besieged El Deposito.  The arrival of Gen. Bernardo Echaluce’s Regiment 73 turned the tide against the rebels.  The Katipuneros, who regrouped in Santa Mesa, courageously engaged the arriving Spanish troops, but armed only with wooden lances, bolos and handmade guns, were easily outfought and forced to retreat. They suffered heavy losses with 153 patriots killed and 200 others, including Sancho Valenzuela, captured.

The “Spirit of Pinaglabanan” of Eduardo Castrillo

The centerpiece of the sprawling memorial shrine, built in 1973, is the Spirit of Pinaglabanan, a sculpture by the late, renowned Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo (also known for the People Power Monument) that features three elongated cut and welded brass figures of a woman supported by two children, holding up a bolo, atop a semicircular, 10 x 4.3 x 4.3 meter molded concrete base.

Walls inscribed with the names of possible Katipuneros based on primary sources and published studies

Flanking the statue are walls inscribed with the names of possible Katipuneros based on primary sources and published studies. In front is a monument with an “Eternal Flame” signifying the Filipinos’ adherence to the principles of liberty.

This statue, portraying the heroism of the Katipuneros who fought and died in this battlefield, is interwoven with San Juan’s identity and is depicted on the city’s official seal. On August 1, 1973, the Pinaglabanan Shrine was declared as a National Shrine by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260.

After years of dilapidation, a Php50 million renovation for the park was begun, headed by the San Juan local government, under Mayor Francis Zamora, and the Department of Public Works and Highways with consultation from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The “Eternal Flame”

The  makeover of the landmark included the replacement of flooring, landscaping, construction of a perimeter fence and public toilets and installation of new sets of elevated LED lights and sprinklers. On November 25, 2019, the memorial shrine was reopened.

The shrine is jointly maintained by the San Juan city government and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines which runs two museums within the park, the Museo ng Katipunan (Museum of the Katipunan) and the Museo El Deposito (El Deposito Museum).

Check out “Museo ng Katipunan,” “Museo El Deposito” and “El Deposito Underground Reservoir”

Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine:  N. Domingo cor. Pinaglabanan Street, Barangay Paraiso, City of San Juan, Metro Manila.  Coordinates: 14°36′17″N 121°01′52″E.

How to Get There: Jeepneys, at Camp Crame, have routes that pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  RRCG buses that ply the Ortigas Avenue-Sta. Mesa route also pass by the Pinaglabanan Shrine.  By car, take the Bonny Serrano Avenue westbound, beside Camp Crame, until you reach Pinaglabanan Shrine.  From Ortigas Avenue westbound, turn left at Bonny Serrano Avenue and go straight until you reach Pinanglabanan Shrine on the right.

Liwasang Bonifacio (Manila)

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For my first city tour since the COVID-19 lockdown, Jandy and I joined the Pasig River Heritage Walk, sponsored by Renacimiento Manila and conducted by its president Mr. Diego Torres. Our assembly area, fitfully, was to be at the 700 sq. m. Liwasang Bonifacio (Bonifacio Square), one of four freedom parks in the City of Manila (the others are Plaza Miranda, Plaza Dilao and Plaza Moriones), where protests and rallies may be held without requiring permission from local authorities.  Since the dark days of Martial to the post dictatorship years, the plaza has been a popular site of protests and demonstrations organized by several leftist groups.

Liwasang Bonifacio

This city square and transport hub, straddling the dividing line between Ermita and Intramuros, is the starting point of Padre Burgos Avenue which connects to Taft Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Rizal Park and lies at the south end of Jones Bridge, MacArthur Bridge, and Quezon Bridge that link the northern districts of Binondo, Santa Cruz, and Quiapo to the central district of Ermita.  Today, this plaza is a visual foil for two Juan Arellano structures –  the Manila Central Post Office and the Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Participants of the Pasig River Heritage Walk gathered around Mr. Diego Torres (in blue), president of Renacimiento Manila, the organizer of the walking tour

During the Spanish Colonial era, the land that is now Liwasang Bonifacio and the Manila Central Post Office was the Cuartel del Fortín.  This small fortress, guarding the Pasig River east of Fort Santiago, was located at the site of the Parián de Arroceros, an early Chinese trading village east of Intramuros (in what was the first bend of the Pasig River).  The marketplace of Intramuros, the community, although closely guarded by the Spanish, eventually grew, with its own parish church, cemetery and stores (such as the Arroceros Rice Market) and soon became Manila’s early economic and trading hub.

The Bonifacio Monument and its “national photobomber – the Manila Central Post Office Building

In the decades after the British Occupation of Manila from 1762 to 1764, the closeness and support of the Chinese to the British provided the Spanish with justification to deport and, subsequently, ban them from the country.  The Parián’s close proximity to the walls of Intramuros made it a security threat and was demolished and the Chinese ghetto and marketplace was moved, north of the Pasig River, to Binondo and Santa Cruz.

Statue of Andres Bonifacio sculpted by the late National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino

The area of the former Parián, now a vast marshy open field, was soon filled, by the Spaniards, with several barracks including the quarters of a contingent of the Spanish infantry regiment, near the Fortin of the Puente Grande (now occupied by the Manila Central Post Office Building).  In front of the Fortin is the Plaza del Fortín, a small plaza surrounded by stone benches and trees which also doubled as a public recreation area at night where early residents would gather to hear musical performances.

Plaque at monument installed by National Historical Commission

In the early 1900s, the plaza was renamed as Plaza Lawton after Henry Ware Lawton, the American general who was killed, during the Philippine–American War, by a Filipino sharpshooter named Bonifacio Mariano in the Battle of Paye (also known as the Battle of San Mateo), in the area partly occupied by Bagong Silangan, Quezon City) on December 19, 1899. The Manila tranvía had a terminal in the plaza.

Liwasang Bonifacio Plaque

In 1963, the plaza was renamed after Andres Bonifacio, the revolutionary leader who founded the independence movement of Katipunan during the Spanish colonial rule. A monument in his honor, designed by National Artist for Sculpture (1973) Guillermo Tolentino to commemorate his birth centennial, now stands in the center of the plaza. Tolentino also designed the Bonifacio Monument along EDSA but, unlike this bolo-wielding statue the one at Liwasang shows Bonifacio with a quiet dignity  – a gaze of steel, arms raised near his hips and hands poised to draw his bolo and fight.

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In 2002, the plaza was refurbished (with design assistance from the Heritage Conservation Society) with a fountain as its centerpiece flanked by fully grown royal palm trees (providing a majestic vista of the Manila Central Post Office’s façade) and, in 2012, in order to protect the zone from further urbanization, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) declared the plaza as a National Historical Landmark.

Check out “Manila Central Post Office Building,” “Revitalized Jones Bridge” and “Quezon Bridge”

The “Maya Art Installation cum Bike Rack

The Liwasang is frequented by bikers who use the fountain as a rest stop, posing for selfies beside the monument.   As such, near the monument is a bike rack cum art installation called “Maya,” one of four (the others are the “Kalesa” at Plaza Roma, “Alon” at Rajah Sulayman Park and “Tabak” at the Kartilya ng Katipunan) designed by Tondo-born and raised Mark Wesley Pahate and installed on May 8, 2021 (Flag Day) by Allianz PNB.

AUTHORS NOTES:

Despite these best efforts, the monument is still a pathetic sight as it is still, apparently, home to sidewalk vendors, beggars and vagrants, the shrubbery serving as drying area for their laundry and litter all around. The monument of Bonifacio, unlike that of Jose Rizal in Rizal Park, is tiny and, also unlike the latter, is not fenced off or watched over by an honor guard, though both are considered as National Heroes.  Also, both have “national photobombers,” the Bonifacio Monument with its Manila Central Post Office (in fairness, this was built first) and the Rizal Monument with its 49-storey Torre de Manila Condominium.

Liwasang Bonifacio: Padre Burgos Avenue and Magallanes Street, Ermita
Manila.

Andres Bonifacio Monument Park (Manila)

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The Andres Bonifacio Monument sculpted by the late sculptor Eduardo Castrillo

The Andres Bonifacio Monument Park, a public park and plaza also known as the Kartilya ng Katipunan or Heroes Park, is located just north of the Manila City Hall and south of Mehan Garden and Liwasang Bonifacio.

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The Kartilya (primer) of the Katipunan, a guidebook, written by Emilio Jacinto, for new members of the organization which laid out the groups rules and principles

Its centerpiece, the Bonifacio and the Katipunan Revolution Monument, fronting Padre Burgos Avenue, is dedicated to Filipino revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio and the Philippine Revolution.  Designed by the late Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo,  it was unveiled in 1998.

National Historical Institute Plaque

On September 21, 2006, Mayor Lito Atienza inaugurated the Victims of Martial Law Memorial Wall at the park.  In 2019, the plaza was rehabilitated by Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso who ordered the removal of occupying vendors and vagrants.

Flagpoles with the different flags of the Katipunan

Continuous cleanup and removal of illegal vendors has made visible the bronze monument commemorating Emilio Jacinto, which had been obscured for several years.  Additional flora were added and Bermuda grass was planted, turning it into a promenade.

A musical dancing fountain, worth Php40 million paid for by tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, was also installed in front of the Andres Bonifacio Monument Park. Inaugurated last February 12, 2020, the rectangular fountain appears like, with its shape and multi-colored LED lighting, the Philippine flag when viewed from the top. The lights moved to various local novelty songs.

The author in front of the Musical Dancing Fountain

A little over eight months later, on October 5, 2020, a fragment of the 155 km. long and 3.95 m. (13 ft.) tall Berlin Wall (which stood from August 13, 1961 until November 9, 1989), identified as “Fragment 22.”

The glass-enclosed fragment of the Berlin Wall

Donated by the city government of Berlin in Germany to the Philippines on November 27, 2014 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall, it was first housed at the National Museum of the Philippines and later placed at the Andres Bonifacio Monument Park.

Plaque commemorating the installation of Berlin Wall fragment in the park

Standing 3.65 m. (12 ft.) tall and 1.2 m. (4 ft.) wide, it weighs 1,273 kgs. (2.8 tons).  Fragment 22, also called “Mauerteil,” is the 22nd of the wall’s 40 sections. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to receive a fragment of the Berlin Wall.

Plaque narrating the history of the Berlin Wall

Near the monument is a bike rack cum art installation called “Tabak,” one of four (the others are the “Kalesa” at Plaza Roma, “Alon” at Rajah Sulayman Park and “Maya” at Liwasang Bonifacio) designed by Tondo-born and raised Mark Wesley Pahate and installed on May 8, 2021 (Flag Day) by Allianz PNB.

“Tabak,” a bike rack cum art installation

Bonifacio Shrine: 1000 Taft Ave., Ermita, Manila.  Hourly musical fountain show: every 15 mins., from 6:30 – 11 PM.  Coordinates: 14°35′27.3″N 120°58′51.9″E.