Bali Bombings Remembered in Heart of London
Lives lost in Kuta are immortalized in the United Kingdom
A monument in London in memory of the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings. (JG Photo/Simon Marcus Gower)
London is a city of many monuments, memorials and landmarks. From triumphal arches, to statues of heroes, leaders and the famous, to Tower Bridge and Big Ben, many parts of London have rightly earned international acclaim.
But in one corner of the city stands a rather reserved, hushed memorial that is a fitting commemoration of lost lives. It is just a short walk from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, tucked behind the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and across from St. James's Park.
For those not familiar with the city, this means it is situated in a highly respected part of central London.
Respect is the key word here. It came as a surprise to Indonesian friends that this memorial includes the names of their compatriots, but this is a place that pays respect to all those who fell victim to the nightclub bombings in Kuta, Bali, on Oct. 12, 2002, regardless of nationality.
The memorial was established at the initiative of the UK Bali Bombing Victims Group, which sought to build it in 2005.
It was designed by artist Gary Breeze along with the sculptural work of Martin Cook and his son Matt.
The memorial was unveiled by Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, in October 2006. The British Foreign Office contributed 100,000 pounds ($156,000), about a third of the total, with the balance coming from donations.
The memorial consists of a huge stone globe, seemingly rolled into place on a circular plinth set into the pavement. Behind this is a gently curved stone wall on which the names of the victims — who came from 21 countries — are listed.
Central are the names of the 28 British citizens killed in the blasts.
On the wall amid those names is a statement of what the memorial's purpose: "In memory of the 202 innocent people killed by an act of terrorism in Kuta on the Island of Bali on the 12th of October 2002."
On the circular plinth on which the stone globe stands are the words: "You were robbed of life. Your spirit enriches ours."
This speaks to the tragic fact that so many young lives were taken in the blasts at Kuta nightspots. More than 200 people were also injured in the bombings.
Survivors' memories of that terrible night cannot be conveyed by a memorial, but this sculpture does manage, gracefully and in a calming way, to remember those who died.
On the either side of the wall are stone seats used by people keen to sit and contemplate awhile. They are also a place to leave flowers to honor lost loved ones.
On the stone globe, simply carved, are representations of 202 doves, one for each of the victims.
London itself is no stranger to terror. In July 2005, an attack on the city's transportation infrastructure killed 56 people. The attack added London to the list of locations that were sites of terrorism in the early 2000s, alongside Bali and New York, Madrid and Casablanca, among others.
London's is one of several memorials to the victims of the Bali bombings, others being in Australia, Hong Kong and, of course, Bali.
It is a simple yet a deeply moving memorial and acts as a place of solace for victims' families so far from Ba
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