Although this memorial gives little by way of clues to Alice's age, I think she was about 25 when she died. That was also the conclusion reached by Patrick Marber, the script writer of the 2004 film, Closer, which starred Julia Roberts and Jude Law. I'm not a cinema-goer and I have never seen the film, but the internet is a great source of information.
The memorial does exist in real life. It can be found in London, not far from St Paul's Cathedral. Specifically, in Postman's Park. In 1887, the artist G F Watts wrote to The Times proposing a project to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee of that year. He believed that stories of heroism could uplift and stimulate and should therefore be commemorated. As his idea was not taken up he created the memorial himself in the form of a 50ft long open gallery situated in the public gardens on the site of the former churchyard of St. Botolph, Aldersgate.
I do love stumbling across quirky things like this, and this memorial to otherwise ordinary people is a delight.
2 comments:
I knew nothing about these. As you say, they are a delight - thank you.
I think this is about the most touching memorial ever. Ordinary people who did extraordinary things in order to save others.
When my Dad was three his family home burnt down. An elderly neigbour, unaware that my Dad was already save at a neigbours place, tried to get into the house in order to save him. When my grandfather stopped him he said he would rather have been killed in the flames trying to rescue my Dad then letting a small child die.
This is true heroism.
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