Tuesday 1 May 2012

Taphophile Tragics




The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC honors federal, state and local law enforcers for their dedication and sacrifice. The memorial features bronze sculptures depicting a series of adult lions protecting its cubs, symbolizing the protective role of law enforcement officers. Blue-gray marble walls are inscribed with the names of more than 17,500 officers who have been killed in the line of duty (dating back to 1792). Each May, during National Police Week new names of fallen officers are added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.



Below is the  highly polished, black granite police memorial in the Domain in Sydney.




This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

13 comments:

Jim said...

interesting post, Ann Regarding my post today, the St George Regional Museum is now located in another heritage building in MacMahons Street, near the council chambers.

Dina said...

A nice idea, the lion protectors.
The other wall is reflecting the people the police are there to protect.

Peter said...

Another great travel feature,

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Very impressive sculptures of the big cats Ann, and great reflections in the Sydney memorial. Really I think sometimes the police get such a bad rap, but it cannot be an easy job.

Herding Cats said...

What an amazing monument! I love the big cats!

Halcyon said...

I like the reflections in your last shot. :)
This is a neat memorial. The protective "cats" is a novel idea. Never seen anything like it, but it works well. :)

VioletSky said...

That is a long list of names! The protective lions is an interesting addition to the site.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

This granite wall memorial is very much like our Viet Nam memorial in Washington DC. A very moving experience.

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Very poignant post. Many people fail to realise that so many police officers lay down their lives on a daily basis in their job. Unfortunately, many make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Rae Walter said...

Very interesting post Ann. Like the symbolism concepts of protection in the Washington DC photos.

Julie said...

Yes, I agree with some of the others that the symbolism of the lions works really well. I also like it that all new additions are done annually on the same day.

I have not seen the police memorial in the domain. Whereabouts is it exactly?

Ann said...

Going towards the Art Gallery from the Cathedral its on the right just past the Robbie Burns statue. Its set slightly down the slope so its easy to miss. I walked past it for years, not knowing it was there. Its great for reflections.

CaT said...

i like that that wall is like a mirror. was that on purpose?
and thanks for explaining those lions. i found it a little weird, but i really like it now i know why they are there!