Eternal flame sculpture in London honors victims of the Armenian Genocide

An eternal flame appeared in Ealing last year – as both a sculpture and a memorial to genocide.

The Armenian genocide that the sculpture commemorates was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Although the actions match the generally accepted definition of genocide, the term is contentious, particuarly in modern day Turkey. However, it’s generally accepted to have been such an act.

The genocide took place between 1915-19, when on the orders of Talaat Pasha, an estimated 800,000 to 1.2 million Armenians were sent on death marches to the Syrian Desert. There were also subsequent forced conversions of the surivors to try and destroy the Armenian heritage.

The Turkish government maintains that the deportation of Armenians was a legitimate action that cannot be described as genocide. As of 2023, 34 countries have recognized the events as genocide, concurring with the academic consensus.

I saw the memorial a few months ago, and wondered why it was in Ealing — and now understand that the British Armenian Community of Ealing is the largest Armenian community in all London.

A previous memorial was planted on Ealing Green—an apricot tree, which symbolizes longevity, hope, and perseverance. The scientific name of the Apricot is Prunus Armeniaca, which is also appropriate.

Now, it’s been joined by a stylized flame that is also a representation of the Khatchkar (Armenian cross). The memorial, carved from Armenian basalt (red tuff stone), was created by the sculptor Varazdat Hambardzumyan, who is considered one of Armenia’s leading stone carvers.

The memorial is also mounted on a basalt plinth.

It was unveiled in April 2023 and a plaque on the base reads: “The Eternal Flame In memory of the one and a half million sanctified victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide”

 

Researching the memorial and how contentious the topic can be, I expected that there would have been objections when the planning application was filed, but surprisingly, they weren’t from people who oppose the genocide definition of what happened but from local groups who argued that the memorial would reduce the pavement width.

The memorial is close to two much larger telephone boxes, so that was a rather odd complaint to make.

You can find the memorial on the green just outside Pitzhanger House and Gallery in Ealing Broadway.