C O N T E X T 1 7 3 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 27 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION As the air marshal leading RAF Bomber Command in the second world war, Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris (1892–1984) was at the centre of controversies, then and since, about the policy that he implemented of bombing German cities to instil terror into their populations, rather than with purely military or strategic objectives. That made the decision to erect a memorial to him a controversial one. The statue, designed by Faith Winter and erected in 1992, stands outside St Clement Danes Church in London. It may be that the controversy surrounding Harris’s reputation was one of the reasons for the statue being created. Many survivors of Bomber Command and the families of members and former members felt that their contribution was regarded as tarnished. A statue would help them hold their heads high. The idea of erecting a statue of Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965) in London’s Parliament Square was Churchill’s himself.When reviewing plans for the square’s redevelopment in the 1950s, he helpfully indicated the prime location for his monument. The statue was erected in 1973, after his death. Churchill is perhaps a more controversial figure than he was then, and the stature and his plinth have been vandalised several times. Nowadays the work is covered by a large timber structure whenever a particular risk is foreseen. Probably most statues represent people who are controversial. For some people, a particular statue will add interest or delight to a place. For others that same statue may cause real offence. Who responds in what way will change over time. In the UK one of the most controversial statues has been that in Bristol of the slave-trader and philanthropist Edward Colston (1636–1721), which in 2020 was pulled down from its plinth, daubed with paint and thrown into Bristol Harbour.The protest coincided with many other instances of statue-toppling around the world in response to the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, USA. For several years previously Bristol City Council, owner of the Grade II listed statue, had been trying to come up with a form of words for an explanatory plaque that would be widely acceptable. At one stage it got as far as casting the plaque but it was never installed.The protesters lost patience and took direct action. Four of them were prosecuted for causing criminal damage but the jury acquitted them, to the dismay of Boris Johnson’s government. The statue was recovered from the harbour and has since been exhibited in a gallery, lying down, somewhat damaged and still bearing its graffiti. This seems to be its likely long-term fate. The Colston statue was erected, not by his friends, The statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is covered by a large timber structure whenever a particular risk of vandalism is foreseen.
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