Lions and war memorials


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Littlebro, wonderful shot of the Lion - one of Nottingham's famous landmarks. :)

Does anybody know the history behind the two Lions standing guard outside of Nottingham's Council House?

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Jackson, I believe the lions are called Justice and Truth, one is slightly bigger than the other but don't know which one

Rog

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And aren't they supposed to 'roar' each time a virgin walks past (or sommat !)

They were based on the lions at the foot of Nelsons Column in London designed by Landseer (Who clearly had never seen a Lion!)

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To get back to Jackson's lions, there are a pair more or less the same as the council house/market square ones in front of a ww1 cemetery in northern France but don't know where yet, I will trawl through some pictures to see if I can find them, these were modeled on our Nottingham lions sometime in the late twenties

Rog

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While walking the Somme battlefield some years ago,I remember that the huge 'Thiepval, monument had lions each side of the arch, this memorial was dedicated to the 'unknown' soldiers of the Somme battles,90,000+

I remember seeing the 51st memorial,it was a highlander in kilt and bonnet, I can't say that there were any lions on the monument,but I did spend 4 days trudging all over the place and did see so many Allied monuments.

On the second day I was walking the trenches,when a French guy was screaming at me, he tiptoed up to me grabbed my arm,using words I didn't learn at school,but it ended in 'Anglais' so I got the gist of it,

He took me to a big pile of rusting 'live shells' "boom boom" said Claude,pointing to where I had been walking.

I had managed to walk the wrong way,there were danger signs but not the way I went in.

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littlebro,

Nice shots of the Square. The grey skies, reflections on wet pavements and a proud lion remind me of my old Nottingham back in the 50s/early 60s.

Shame about what has been done to the square IMHO.

Two questions???.....Is that Kev and Martine with their backs to you near their wedding chariot? and what caused that bloody great crack around the lower part of Leo?

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Lions are on the Ploegsteert memorial (Berks Cemetry, Nr Ypres) very similar to the ones in slab square.......................Lions were/are a recurring theme on many Somme memorials, as they featured in many regimental badges for the various allies involved in the 1418.

More can be seen at the Menin Gate, which for me was the most thought evoking of the many memorials visited, the Last Post every evening never fails to touch the heart.

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littlebro,

Nice shots of the Square. The grey skies, reflections on wet pavements and a proud lion remind me of my old Nottingham back in the 50s/early 60s.

Shame about what has been done to the square IMHO.

Two questions???.....Is that Kev and Martine with their backs to you near their wedding chariot? and what caused that bloody great crack around the lower part of Leo?

Correct Trevor, it is Kev & Martine next to the Daimler.

The 'crack' in in fact a joint. The lion statues are made up of a number of blocks pieced together - akin to a 3D puzzle.

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Sorry Compo.......................I forgot that we aren't allowed them forrin wurdz...................... :unsure:

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Nice photo' fynger,I was only using my memory,from 30 odd years ago.

All of my photos' are still in boxes ,due to the move.

'I stand corrected sir'

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51st highlanders monument at Beaumont Hamel a couple of miles from Theipval:

51stMemorial%2520%25281%2529.jpg?gl=GB

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Don't know about monuments, but was felling a couple of trees this morning and found a sign of a real lion!!, (Cougar), looks like I'm going to have to take a firearm out with me when I'm out and about on this place...

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