The memorial arch to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War was put in place on Thursday last week, and it makes a striking addition to the Folkestone skyline. The location of the arch is very fitting, standing overlooking the harbour where the ships waited to take millions of soldiers to France during the course of the war. It also marks the route taken by so many of the men, marching down the Road of Remembrance, to board those ships; many of whom would not return.
The arch stands 14 metres tall and is made of highly polished steel. It is a catenary arch, a form in architecture that is recognised all around the world. This design reflects the fact that people from all around the world came to Folkestone during the war. There is still work to be done on the arch site to make it ready for the centenary day, 4th August, when it will be dedicated by Prince Harry in a special service of commemoration. I would like to thank the organisations that have been involved in building the arch, in particular WEC Group from Darwen in Lancashire who constructed the steel arch, and Walkers from Folkestone who have completed the foundations and groundworks for the arch. I’d also like to thank again Lend Lease, the international property company who have donated all of their time for free to project manage the construction of the arch; this has probably been the greatest financial contribution to the memorial arch project.
With appropriate timing the Folkestone arch was being constructed as leaders of the European nations met at a service in Ypres in Belgium to mark the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event that led to the start of the war, one hundred years before. Thursday was also the day that the House of Commons debated the First World War centenary. As well as participating in that debate myself, I was interested to hear the remarks of others about the work we have been doing in Folkestone to mark this important centenary. Dr Andrew Murrison, the Minister at the Ministry of Defence who has been working on the national plans for mark the First World War, made a particular reference to Folkestone and the Step Short project. He said that Step Short was “a flagship for thousands of independent projects up and down the country that have been inspired by the centenary.” He added as well that “The magic of Folkestone is the ability to plot the course of that final trip for so many thousands of servicemen as they embarked for France. Folkestone in those years held a particular place in the hearts of the service community.” On Tuesday this week, along with Ann Berry and Paul Emden from Step Short, I also attended a special event at 10 Downing Street, hosted by the Prime Minister, to mark the work of community organisations across the country in relation to the First World War centenary.