South African War Memorial at the Durban City Hall...

South African War Memorial at the Durban City Hall (Francis Farewell Square) In 1921 EAGLE, PILKINGTON & McQUEEN won the competition for the Durban War Memorial. The memorial took some time to reach completion and when it was unveiled in 1926 it was Pilkington's name which was attached to the design. Pilkington visited England in 1924 during its building 'the architect of Durban War Memorial has now returned from England and it is hoped that the erection of the memorial will now progress faster than it has done in the past' (SAB Aug 1924:31). The ceramicist John Adams was responsible for making the ceramics for the War Memorial, Durban described by Berman (1983:334) as 'the largest panel of Assyrian Faience in the world' and which sent the editor of the Architect, Builder & Engineer (then probably DELBRIDGE) into a frenzy of horror, pulling it to shreds with such criticisms as 'the blue {of the ceramics} clashes with the blue of Durban sky' (AB&E Oct 1926:2.)