World War II Memorial in Boston
Some interesting information about Boston World War II memorial
Many people may not know that Boston has a rather large memorial for Bostonians that fought and died in World War II. The memorial is located in the Fenway area and called the George Robert White Veterans Memorial Park.
Did you Know: Massachusetts has 8 Memorials/Monuments to those that died in World War II and 20 Memorials/Monuments for those that died in World War I. (Source: MassVacations.com)
The Boston memorial is a large eclipse formed by granite structures, and include a winged figure in the center. Around the monument are seats which can accommodate an audience size of 500 people.
Thirteen Things interesting things I learned about the World War II Memorial
- Dedicated on October 30, 1949 (1,520 days after the official end of World War II)
- The memorial was Sculptor by John Francis Paramino and Tito Cascieri was the primary Architect
- The memorial was funded by a grant from the George Robert White Fund. (George Robert White was Boston's primary philanthropists.)
- In the center of the memorial is a "Winged Victory" statue that is 12-feet high. The statue was done by T.F. McGann & Sons Co. FDY of Somerville, Mass. You can see the artist inscription/signature on the bottom left of the statue.
- Behind the "Winged Victory" statue is a granite diamond-shape shaft of 22-feet and contain 48 stars. (Hawaii and Alaska didn't become a state yet)
- The names of 3,000 war dead are mounted in bronze behind the diamond-shape shaft.
- In The Memorial is named for U.S. Sergeant Charles A. MacGillivary - He was honored with a bronze plaque on the lectern which was added during a special dedication ceremony.
- Sergeant Charles Andrew MacGillivary was the only Medal of Honor, the only World War II vet from Boston to return alive with one. He died in 2000.
- The Korea and Vietnam Memorials were added in 1989 which were paid from a grant from the George Robert White Fund ($650,000)
- Above the names of the those that died it reads, "In memory of the men and women of Boston who lost their lives in World War II"
- Around the lectern stage is the phrase, "1949 From the Income of the George Robert White Fund"
- James W Sugden and Stanton H. Kelly are the only names added to the memorial since it was created in 1949.
- In 1946, James Michael Curley suggest that planting 2,400 trees in the Fenway would be a good tribute to the fallen. He suggested a shrine in the middle for religious services.
U.S. Sergeant Charles A. MacGillivary
Apparently there is a slight misprint on the bronze plaque on the lectern. I notice that U.S. Sergeant Charles A. MacGillivary is misspelled.
Check out the difference between his gravestone and the plaque on the memorial:
What do you think? Is MacGillivary spelled correctly?
Finding the World War II Memorial
To find George Robert White Veterans Memorial Park, you can enter the Back Bay Fens from the south at the intersection of the Fenway and Forsyth Way just east of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Cross over the Agassiz Bridge and bear right when the path forks. A path leads to it on the right. (You'll see the memorial when you cross Fenway Parkway.)