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Soviet War Memorial

The Society for Co-operation in Russian and Soviet Studies (SCRSS) is proud of its significant role in establishing the Soviet War Memorial in London. The Memorial commemorates the sacrifice of 27 million lives by the citizens and armed forces of the former Soviet Union in its joint struggle with the United Kingdom, the United States and France to defeat fascism during World War II. It is the only monument of its kind in the UK.

The Soviet War Memorial is located in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, London Borough of Southwark, adjacent to the Imperial War Museum.

Events

Since its unveiling, the SCRSS has been proactive with the Trust responsible for the Memorial in organising regular remembrance ceremonies marking Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army), Victory Day (9 May, the day on which most republics of the former Soviet Union celebrate the defeat of Nazism in Europe) and Remembrance Sunday (November).

See the SCRSS Events page for details of Soviet War Memorial Trust events.

History

Following a decision taken at an SCRSS AGM, a meeting of interested parties led to the formation of the Soviet Memorial Trust Fund (SMTF) in 1997. The SCRSS was a founder member. The SMTF was instrumental in organising the fundraising necessary to create the Memorial, as well as its official unveiling.

The Soviet War Memorial was unveiled on 9 May 1999 by the British Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon George Robertson MP, and HE the Russian Ambassador, Yuri Fokine, in the presence of HRH the Duke of Kent. This was a major inter-governmental event in which veterans and other organisations from Britain and the former Soviet Union participated.

The Soviet War Memorial is located in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ (adjacent to the Imperial War Museum), on land donated by the London Borough of Southwark. The memorial was designed by Russian sculptor Sergei Shcherbakov. The granite memorial tablet was made by British stonemason Gary Breeze.

In 2018 the SMTF was transformed into the Soviet War Memorial Trust (SWMT), a HMRC-registered charity (Reference Number EW91910).

Contact

For more information, contact the SWMT Honorary Secretary:

Soviet War Memorial Trust
320 Brixton Road
London SW9 6AB
Email: sovietwarmemorialtrust@gmail.com
Website: www.sovietwarmemorialtrust.com

Articles from the SCRSS Digest

A selection of articles from the SCRSS Digest, relating to the Soviet War Memorial in London and the Soviet Union's contribution to the defeat of Fascism during World War II, are linked below:

The Victory Banner Over the Reichstag
By Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Russian Culture and Film at Queen Mary University of London
SCRSS Digest, Spring 2021, page 7

The Poem That Caught a Nation's Pain: Pavel Antokolsky's Son
By Dr Michael Jones
SCRSS Digest, Summer 2020, page 1

We Shall Remember Them
By Ralph Gibson, Honorary Secretary, SWMT
SCRSS Digest, Summer 2020, page 8

Churchill and Stalin: Comrades-in-Arms
By Geoffrey Roberts, Emeritus Professor of History at University College Cork
SCRSS Digest, Spring 2019, page 1

A Tale of Two VE Days
By Dr Michael Jones
SCRSS Digest, Spring 2015, page 11

Soviet War Graves in the UK and the Impetus for the Soviet War Memorial
By Phil Matthews, Chair, Soviet Memorial Trust Fund
SCRSS Digest, Summer 2014, page 24

The Red Army's Liberation of Auschwitz: 27 January 1945
By Dr Michael Jones
SCRSS Information Digest, Summer 2012, page 1

The Second World War in Russia Today
By Professor Richard Overy
SCRSS Information Digest, Spring 2012, page 1

Architect of Disaster? Zhukov and 22 June 1941
By Professor Geoffrey Roberts
SCRSS Information Digest, Summer 2011, page 1

The Nazi-Soviet Pact Reconsidered
By Professor Geoffrey Roberts
SCRSS Information Digest, Autumn 2009, page 1

The Soviet Union's Contribution to the Defeat of Japanese Militarism
By Keith Bennett
SCRSS Information Digest, Spring 2009, page 1

Reflections on the 60th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War
By Professor Geoffrey Roberts
SCRSS Information Digest, Summer 2005, page 1



 
Soviet War Memorial, London (copyright SCRSS)

 

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