Located in Postman’s Park, just north of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the memorial contains 54 plaques, each dedicated to an ‘ordinary’ person who gave their life in an attempt to save someone else.
Artist George Frederic Watts devised the memorial in 1887, originally intending it for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It was eventually unveiled in 1900, with just four plaques installed. Watts died early on, and his wife took over the project. Then the ceramicist making the plaques quit. The 53rd plaque was not added until 1931.
The most recent plaque was added in 2009, to honor Leigh Pitt, who died in a London canal saving a nine-year-old boy from drowning. While only 54 plaques are currently in place, Watt had originally envisioned 120 plaques, so there are still 66 empty spaces.
A separate plaque adjacent to the memorial discusses George Frederic Watts’ reasoning for wanting the memorial. It features a quote: “The material prosperity of a nation is not an abiding possession: the deeds of its people are.”
It also quotes the Bible:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
