The ships and docks are largely gone from Liverpool’s historic waterfront—largely shifted downstream to container ports—but a walk along the shore is full of reminders of the dangers of seafaring and war at sea.
The memorial in the title image is unusual in depicting an individual, a Royal Navy captain who was Britain’s most successful anti-submarine warfare commander. The monument is actually to Walker and his crews. The one just above was dedicated by Liverpool to the Merchant Navy of both world wars.
Some of the memorials tell unusual and perhaps forgotten stories; the one just above honors the crews of the ships that were sent to repatriate 20,000 Britons who had been held prisoner by Japan in the Far East during the war. Below, a memorial to Chinese merchant seamen in British service in both world wars—including what amounts to an apology for ignoring their losses.
Numbers of plaques are attached to this structure, including some honoring sailors of different countries.
Among the ones commemorating merchant seamen and navy personnel of other nations are memorials placed for Norwegians, Belgians, Dutch and Poles.
A few commemorate the loss of specific ships. The sinking of the Lancastria, which was evacuating British troops from France just after Dunkirk, was filled beyond capacity; its loss was the largest loss of life in British, and possibly world, maritime history.
The most prominent memorial in the area is this one, dedicated to those who were lost at sea during World War II
Plaque after plaque records the many names.
This memorial began as a memorial to the 32 engine room crew members who died in the sinking of the Titanic, whose home port was Liverpool. Because of heavy losses in World War I, it was rededicated to all ‘Heroes of the Marine Engine Room.’ The heroic depiction of ordinary workers was unusual and has influenced many other monuments since. The damage at top right above the stoker’s head is a remnant of World War II bombing of the port.
(left, Man vyi/Wikimedia Commons, right Rodhullandemu/Wikimedia Commons)
One more monument nearby, with the historic Liver and Cunard buildings behind it, has nothing to do with loss. Called Heaven & Earth, it shows a stylized telescope aimed at a working mechanical orrery, or model of the solar system. It’s a tribute to Jeremiah Horrocks, the 17th-century Liverpool astronomer who was the first to observe the transit of Venus.
