Location

Location :
Located on the triangular area to the northwest of Sanam Luang, in front of the Bangkok National Museum, Na Phra That Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok.
Age :
Built in 1921 during the reign of King Rama VI.
Type of Monument :
Unregistered monument.

History

The Great War or World War I began in 1914 between the Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and the Allied Powers, which included Britain, France, Belgium, Russia, and other nations. The war lasted for four years.
Thailand, under the reign of King Vajiravudh, maintained its neutrality until 22 July 1917 when the King led the country into war, joining the Allied Powers. King Rama VI ordered a group of defence diplomats led by Major General Phraya Phichai Charnyarit (Phad Thepahatsadin Na Ayudhaya) to contact the entente in Europe. The diplomats left Thailand on 11 January 1917.
The Thai government recruited volunteers to form an Expeditionary Force. After training, a troop of 1,284 soldiers sailed from the shores of Thailand on 20 June 1918 and arrived in Marseilles, France in August. The Expeditionary Force fought until the end of the war, when the Allied Powers won, and the Peace Conference was signed on 11 November 1918. The Thai troop marched in victory alongside the Allied troops at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; in London, England, and in Brussels, Belgium.
The volunteers arrived back home on 21 September 1919, and the troop marched in front of the King. The 19 soldiers who fell during the campaign were cremated in Europe, and had their ashes brought back to their homeland to be honoured. To commemorate their service, King Vajiravudh ordered a memorial built in the shape of a stupa to hold the ashes. On 24 September 1919, the King officially dedicated the memorial and ordered a march of honour for the fallen heroes. The monument became known as the World War I Volunteer Memorial, and the commemoration day is 11 November of every year.

Value and Significance

The memorial commemorates the volunteer soldiers Thailand sent to Europe during World War I.

Architectural and Artistic Features

Designed by Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, the stupa follows a contemporary Srivijaya style, based on Central Javanese religious temples called “candi”. The main body is made of white stone, with indented corners at the base. The central parts on all four sides of the stupa are chiselled and inscribed with black ink, narrating the history of the country's participation in World War I, the history of the monument, as well as the names of the fallen soldiers.
The tympanums above the inscriptions are decorated with flowers, kinnaree (a half-bird, half-human mythological figure) and makara (a half-terrestrial, half-aquatic creature). The top part of the stupa is a bell-shaped chedi, with all four corners decorated with a miniature of the monument. A rowel is carved above each tympanum. The whole monument sits atop a three-tiered base, also with indented corners just like the base of the stupa.
The monument is surrounded by 1.5-metre stone shafts, connected by black chains except across the entrances. The surrounding area is neat and clean, and decorated with shrubbery and lawn. The four pathways leading to the stupa are paved with concrete.

Preservation and Restoration

  • There is no information on the monument’s preservation and restoration.

ยอดของอนุสาวรีย์ทำเป็นรูปเจดีย์ทรงกลมสูง มุมทั้ง 4 ประดับปูนปั้นรูปจำลองของอนุสาวรีย์ เหนือหน้าบันสลักเป็นรูปกงจักร

หน้าบันเหนือช่องจารึกประดับลายปูนปั้น ลายช่อดอกไม้ กินรี และตัวเหรา

อนุสาวรีย์ทำด้วยหินขัดสีขาว ฐานเป็นรูปพานย่อมุม ช่วงกลางอนุสาวรีย์ทั้ง 4 ด้านเจาะลงลึกไปจารึกข้อความด้วยอักษรสีดำ กล่าวถึงเหตุการณ์ที่ไทยเข้าร่วมสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 1 และมูลเหตุแห่งการสร้างอนุสาวรีย์แห่งนี้ พร้อมทั้งรายนามทหารหาญผู้เสียชีวิตในเหตุการณ์

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