Heritage Protection As Remembrance

By Brittni Bradford

This Remembrance Sunday we pause once more to honour the fallen of the World Wars and every conflict since. The red poppy reminds us not just of sacrifice, but of the fragile threads of history that bind us and the importance of preserving the tangible reminders of our shared past. In this era of rising global tensions and climate threats, considerations for the proactive protection of cultural heritage (including heritage of remembrance like war memorials, museums, and archives) has never been more urgent. This Remembrance Sunday, as we reflect on the armistice of 1918 and the devastation of 1939–1945, let us also recall the lingering impacts of its assault on humanity's common heritage.

Compounding its profound loss of human life, The First World War, also called the Great War, consumed libraries, places of worship, and artefacts. Some of the more jarring examples of this destruction included:

• the burning of a 14th century University Hall and 18th century library wing of ancient manuscripts at University of Leuven (Louvain) (France),
• the bombardment of Reims Cathedral (France), and
• the bombardment of Serbia’s National Library in Belgrade.

The Second World War escalated this toll of warfare on humanity, exceeding the loss and destruction:

• The Holocaust eviscerated history, heritage, and individuals from deliberately targeted groups,
• Nazi and Soviet looting stripped Europe of irreplaceable treasures (like the Amber Room), and
• Mass bombardments reduced many of Europe’s historic cityscapes to ash and rubble.

The interior of the bomb damaged St Bride's Church, May 1941© Historic England Archive. View image BB69/02583.

The extraordinary level of loss (both human and heritage) imposed during these wars had systematically erased generations of human experience, creation, culture, and potential. Centuries of cultural identity and humanity, wiped from existence by a new level of warfare, with unprecedented weaponry and technology the world had never before seen. In such instances, it was not accidental or collateral damage which had robbed the world of such heritage; it was the deliberate erasure of history, leaving many survivors adrift without tangible anchors to their past. These are among the scars we once again reflect upon this Remembrance Day.

Following the atrocities of these World Wars, humanity set to rebuilding itself once again. Among the numerous legal instruments born of this reconstruction period was the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict (the Hague, 1954) and its First Protocol. Serving as a beacon of the international resolve for future protection of heritage during armed conflict, these instruments introduced key safeguards like:

• the iconic blue shield emblem to facilitate recognition of protected heritage sites and supporting personnel,
• military training in heritage respect, and
• prohibitions on the use of cultural property to shield military objectives.

Decades later, in the 1990s, the world had not heeded the 1954 instrument. The Gulf War once again presented instances of heritage destruction, such as the burning of Kuwait's National Museum, while conflict in the Balkans presented deliberate instances of cultural heritage targeting on the world stage, including the infamous levelling of Mostar Bridge. This uptick in harm to heritage once again refocussed the world’s attention on the importance of the proactive vision for heritage protection set forth in 1954. The International Committee of the Blue Shield was founded by four pillar organisations in 1996 and, shortly after this, a supplemental legal instrument to the Convention was introduced in 1999 (Second Protocol). Initially modelled as an agile emergency network, this organisation evolved into Blue Shield International, a global alliance of National Committees, with an international board and active Secretariat, now spanning over 40 countries.

In 2013, Blue Shield International’s mission found its home in the UK National Committee of the Blue Shield – better known as: Blue Shield UK. The UK government ratified the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols in 2017, and put them into UK law through the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Act 2017. Blue Shield UK promotes nationwide initiatives, advocacy, and implementation measures to support this legislation and related efforts. In doing so, this organisation is helping to bridge 1954 Convention ideals with the threats of modern reality to better ensure heritage protection for the future. The organisation helps to foster civil and military cooperation, training and capacity building, and networking for the protection of the UK heritage.
​
Too often we forget that heritage is remembrance. The continued work of organisations like Blue Shield UK and Blue Shield International helps ensure remembrance goes beyond annual ritual, helping to preserve humanity’s legacy through advocacy and action for the protection of the tangible links to our past. On this Remembrance Sunday, as wreaths are laid and silences observed, let us also remember the Convention’s call to action. In helping to protect our shared heritage, we honour not just the fallen, but the future they fought so valiantly for. Let us vow to prevent history's repetition, ensuring that the memorials we gather around today stand unmolested in times of conflict.

Lest we forget.