War Memorial (Floriana)

{{Infobox military memorial

| name = War Memorial

| native_name = Monument tal-Gwerra

| native_name_lang = mt

| country = Malta

| image = 300px

| caption = View of the War Memorial

| commemorates = the dead of World War I and World War II

| unveiled = 11 November 1938

| coordinates = {{coord|35|53|37.15|N|14|30|29.21|E|display=inline,title}}

| location = Floriana, Malta

| designer = Louis Naudi (Futurism)

}}

The War Memorial ({{langx|mt|Monument tal-Gwerra}}) is a memorial obelisk in Floriana, Malta, which commemorates the dead of World War I and World War II. It was inaugurated on 11 November 1938 by Governor Charles Bonham-Carter to the memory of those killed in World War I, but in 1949 it was rededicated to those killed in both world wars.{{cite news|last1=Darmanin|first1=Denis A.|title=War victims|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080229/letters/war-victims.198350|work=Times of Malta|date=29 February 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203221946/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080229/letters/war-victims.198350|archivedate=3 February 2016}}

The monument was designed by Maltese artist Louis Naudi,{{cite news|title=Remembering the future – the Floriana War Memorial|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/remembering-the-future-the-floriana-war-memorial.752269|work=Times of Malta|date=24 November 2019}} who was influenced by Antonio Sciortino.{{cite news|title=The War Memorial|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120623/environment/The-War-Memorial.425521/|work=Times of Malta|date=23 June 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411083925/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120623/environment/The-War-Memorial.425521|archivedate=11 April 2014}}

According to Mark G. Muscat, the War Memorial "is possibly the sole example of a work of art in Malta which up to a certain extent illustrates the idea of Futurism put forward by Marinetti and Sant'Elia in Italy... Naudi deserves credit for his successful attempt at breaking away from the British colonial architecture that was commonplace at the time... It would be more plausible to classify the War Memorial as an Art Deco stylistic expression... as an avant-garde aesthetic applied to hardstone construction, which gives Naudi's towering design an imposing look."{{cite book|last1=Muscat|first1=Mark Geoffrey|title=Maltese Architecture 1900–1970: Progress and Innovations|date=2016|publisher=Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti|location=Valletta|isbn=9789990932065|pages=29–30}}

The monument is an obelisk in the form of a Latin cross, and it is built out of local globigerina limestone. It has four plaques showing the colonial badge of Malta and reproductions of a document issued by King George V in 1918 acknowledging Malta's role in World War I, the letter by which King George VI awarded the George Cross to Malta in 1942, and a 1943 scroll by President Franklin D. Roosevelt saluting Malta for its role in World War II.

The War Memorial is located on a site which was used for public executions when Malta was under Hospitaller rule.{{cite news|last=Carabott|first=Sarah|date=30 January 2017|title=New research sheds light on punishment by hanging in Malta|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170130/local/new-research-sheds-light-on-punishment-by-hanging-in-malta.638059|work=Times of Malta|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130211352/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170130/local/new-research-sheds-light-on-punishment-by-hanging-in-malta.638059|archive-date=30 January 2017|oclc=220797156}} It is close to the Malta Memorial which is dedicated to Commonwealth aircrew who died in World War II, and memorials to the Royal Malta Artillery and The King's Own Malta Regiment.{{cite web|title=The War Memorial|url=http://www.florianalocalcouncil.com/index.php/mnmap/2012-09-28-07-46-49/war-memorial|website=Floriana Local Council|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010003958/http://www.florianalocalcouncil.com/index.php/mnmap/2012-09-28-07-46-49/war-memorial|archivedate=10 October 2015}} It was originally positioned halfway between City Gate and Ġlormu Cassar Avenue, but was relocated during the realigning of St. Anne Street in 1954. The memorial was restored and the area around it landscaped in the early 2010s. An eternal flame was installed at this point.{{cite news|title=Eternal flame will honour the war dead in Floriana|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120104/local/Eternal-flame-will-honour-the-war-dead-in-Floriana.400923|work=Times of Malta|date=4 January 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108224106/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120104/local/Eternal-flame-will-honour-the-war-dead-in-Floriana.400923|archivedate=8 January 2012}}

The President and Prime Minister as well as other dignitaries lay wreathes at the monument at an annual remembrance ceremony. The memorial is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument.