A cenotaph is an ''"empty tomb"'' or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = ''kenotaphion'' (''kenos'', one meaning being "empty", and ''taphos'', "tomb"). Although the vast majority of cenotaphs are erected in honour of individuals, many of the best-known cenotaphs are instead dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the lost soldiers of one country or empire.

Cenotaphs in the United Kingdom

The Cenotaph, London

Probably the best-known cenotaph in the UK is the one that stands in Whitehall, London at . It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who conceived the idea from the name of a structure ("''Cenotaph of Sigismunda''") in Gertrude Jekyll's garden, and constructed from Portland stone between 1919 and 1920 by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts. It replaced Lutyens's identical wood-and-plaster cenotaph erected in 1919 for the Allied Victory Parade commissioned by David Lloyd George, and is a Grade I listed building. It is undecorated save for a carved wreath on each end and the words "The Glorious Dead", chosen by Rudyard Kipling. It commemorates specifically the victims of the First World War, but is used to commemorate all of the dead in all wars in which British servicemen have fought. The dates of the First World War and the Second World War are inscribed on it in Roman numerals. The design was used in the construction of many other war memorials throughout the British Empire. The British Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is located nearby in Westminster Abbey.

The Cenotaph, Belfast

The Belfast Cenotaph was unveiled on 11 November 1929 by Viscount Allenby as a memorial to the war dead.

The Cenotaph in Belfast is located in the grounds of Belfast City Hall at and is set within a Garden of Remembrance. It is about high with a background of a colonnade about high. On either side of the Cenotaph are ornamental cast bronze brackets. It includes several carvings including laurel wreaths, symbolising victory and honour, attachments to the mouldings of the cornices and capitals. The lettering is engraved in Roman type.

The Cenotaph is the site of the annual main Northern Ireland memorial held at 11:00 a.m. on Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to 11 November (Armistice Day).

Cenotaphs in the rest of the world

Cenotaphs have been erected in many countries around the world since ancient times. It was a common tradition in the ancient world, with many examples built in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and across Northern Europe (in the shape of Neolithic barrows). The practice is still continued around the world. Lutyens' cenotaph influenced the design of many other war memorials in Britain and the British sectors of the Western Front, as well as those in other Commonwealth nations.

The Cenotaph in Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, the Cenotaph in Malaysia, the Cenotaph in Singapore and the Cenotaph in Colombo were erected as memorials to the war dead of World War I.

In Canada, major cenotaphs inspired by Lutyen's memorial in Whitehall, London, commemorating the nation's war dead in World War I and later conflicts include the National War Memorial (a cenotaph surmounted by a bronze sculpture entitled "The Response") in Ottawa, Ontario; Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Victoria and the Victory Square Cenotaph, in Vancouver, British Columbia. A cenotaph in Yale University's Hewitt Quad (or Beinecke Plaza) honours the Men of Yale who died in battle. The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial in Dallas is often described as a cenotaph.

A cenotaph is the focal point of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa. It is situated below the other main point of interest, a marble Historical Frieze in the Hall of Heroes, and is visible through a round opening in the floor. The Hall of Heroes itself has a dome from the summit of which one can view the interior of the monument. At noon on 16 December each year the sun shines through another opening in the dome onto the middle of the cenotaph, where the words 'Ons vir Jou, Suid-Afrika' (Afrikaans for 'We for Thee, South Africa') are inscribed. The ray of sunshine symbolises God's blessing on the lives and endeavours of the Voortrekkers. 16 December is the date in 1838 that the Battle of Blood River was fought.

Durban, South Africa, has a striking and unusual cenotaph made of granite and lavishly decorated with brightly coloured ceramics.

The Church of Santa Engrácia, in Lisbon, Portugal, turned into a National Pantheon since 1966, holds six cenotaphs, namely to Luís de Camões, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Afonso de Albuquerque, Nuno Álvares Pereira, Vasco da Gama and Henry the Navigator.

One of the most famous non-European examples is the concrete Memorial Cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, designed by Kenzo Tange to commemorate the 200,000 victims of the August 1945 atomic bomb attack.

A cenotaph was erected inside the Manila North Cemetery in the Philippines in honor of the 24 Scouts who died in a plane crash en route to the 11th World Scout Jamboree.

Cenotaphs for the missing

Although most notable cenotaphs commemorate notable individuals buried elsewhere, many cenotaphs pay tribute to people whose remains have never been located. Two such cenotaphs are dedicated to victims of the RMS ''Titanic'', whose bodies were not recovered after the sinking. The cenotaph of Ida Straus serves as the gravestone for her husband Isidor Straus at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, and the striking cenotaph of Major Archibald Butt, aide to President William Taft, is located at Arlington National Cemetery.

Cenotaphs in art

Cenotaphs have also been the subject of a number of famous illustrations, notably:

''The Cenotaph to Reynold's Memory'' (John Constable, c. 1833)

''Elevation for Newton's Cenotaph, Perspective'' (Etienne-Louis Boullée, c. 1785)

''The Cenotaph of Jean Jacques Rousseau'' (Hubert Robert, 1794)

Chhatris (cenotaphs) in India

In India, cenotaphs are a basic element of Hindu architecture borrowed from Islamic architecture, as seen in most of the mausoleums of Mughal Emperors which have two burial chambers, the upper one with a cenotaph, as in Humayun's Tomb, Delhi or the Taj Mahal, Agra, while the real tomb often lies exactly below it, or further removed. The term chhatri, used for these canopylike structures, comes from Hindustani word literally meaning umbrella, and are found throughout the northwestern region of Rajasthan as well as in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, chhatris are built on the cremation sites of wealthy or distinguished individuals. Chhatris in Shekhawati may consist of a simple structure of one dome raised by four pillars to a building containing many domes and a basement with several rooms. In some places, the interior of the chhatri is painted in the same manner as the Haveli.

See also

Grave (burial)

Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

War memorial

References

Further reading

''The Secret of the Cenotaph'' by Andrew Crompton, 1999

External links

The New London School explosion cenotaph Memorial

Cenotaph of Sigismunda and Lutyen's Whitehall Cenotaph

Category:World War I memorials and cemeteries

ca:Cenotafi de:Kenotaph es:Cenotafio fr:Cénotaphe io:Cenotafio it:Cenotafio he:אנדרטה ka:კენოტაფი ltg:Kenotafs lb:Kenotaph hu:Kenotáfium nl:Cenotaaf ja:慰霊碑 no:Kenotaf pl:Cenotaf pt:Cenotáfio ro:Cenotaf ru:Кенотаф sv:Kenotaf uk:Кенотаф zh:纪念碑

name	Jake Thackray
background	solo_singer
birth name	John Philip Thackray
born	February 27, 1938
died	December 24, 2002Monmouth, South Wales
origin	Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
instrument	VocalsGuitar
genre	Singer-songwriterChansonnierFolkComedy
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1967–1991
label	EMI
website	jakethackray.com (tribute site)
notable instruments	}}

John Philip "Jake" Thackray (27 February 1938 – 24 December 2002), was an English singer-songwriter, poet and journalist. Best known in the late 1960s and early 1970s for his topical comedy songs performed on British television, his work ranged from satirical to bawdy to sentimental to pastoral, with a strong emphasis on storytelling, making him difficult to pigeonhole.

Jake Thackray sang in a lugubrious baritone voice, accompanying himself on a nylon-strung guitar in a style that was part classical, part jazz. His witty lyrics and clipped delivery, combined with his strong Yorkshire accent and the northern setting of many of his songs, led to him being described as the "North Country Noël Coward", a comparison Thackray resisted, although he acknowledged his lyrics were in the English tradition of Coward and Flanders and Swann "who are wordy, funny writers". However, his tunes derived from the French ''chansonnier'' tradition: he claimed Georges Brassens as his greatest inspiration, and he was also influenced by Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet. He also admired Randy Newman. He was admired by, and influenced, many performers including Jarvis Cocker, Mike Harding, Momus, Ralph McTell, Morrissey, Alex Turner and Nick Drake.

Biography

Early life

John Philip Thackray was born in Leeds, the son of Ernest Thackray, a policeman, and Ivy May Thackray, née Armitage. He was educated at the Jesuit-run St. Michael's College in Leeds and a Jesuit boarding school in Dolgellau, north-west Wales, and considered joining the priesthood, but instead chose to study Modern Languages at Durham University. After graduation he spent four years teaching English, mainly in France – in Lille, Brittany and the Pyrenees – but also including six months in Algeria at the height of the war for independence in 1961–1962. During his time in France he had some of his poetry published, and discovered the ''chansonnier'' tradition and in particular the work of Georges Brassens. "I missed out on rock and all my influences were French," he would later say.

Musical career

In 1964 Thackray returned to his native Yorkshire, teaching at Intake School in Bramley, Leeds. Teaching himself to play the guitar, he found that one way to get unruly pupils to take an interest in their studies was through his songs. This and performing in folk clubs led to appearances on local BBC radio programmes, which brought him to the attention of producer Norman Newell. Thackray recorded 30 songs with Newell, eleven of which were released as his debut album, ''The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray'', in 1967. Its title track exhorted his friends to mark his passing with a party, and then forget him. The album also included "Lah-Di-Dah", in which a prospective bridegroom assures his bride he loves her so much he'll try to be nice to her dreadful family.

This in turn led to a BBC television slot, composing a weekly topical song for Bernard Braden's consumer magazine programme ''Braden's Week''. He was not immediately popular – his first appearance in late 1968 provoked letters demanding his dismissal – but he eventually won over the audience. After ''Braden's Week'' was cancelled in 1972, Thackray took up the same role on its successor show, ''That's Life!''. In nearly thirty years of performing he would make over a thousand radio and TV appearances, including slots on ''The David Frost Show'' and ''Frost Over America'', and his own show, ''Jake's Scene'', on ITV.

In 1968 he married Sheila Marian Clarke-Irons, a 21-year-old student. His second album, ''Jake's Progress'', was recorded at Abbey Road Studios while the Beatles put the finishing touches to their ''Abbey Road'' album next door. Released in 1968, it abandoned the orchestral arrangements of its predecessor for a small acoustic band. It included the song "The Blacksmith and the Toffee Maker", which Thackray adapted from a story in Laurie Lee's ''Cider with Rosie''. He began recording a new album in 1970, but these recordings were scrapped. In 1971 he released ''Live Performance'', a live recording of 14 songs from his 1970 performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London (an expanded, 29-song double CD of the same performance would be released in 2006).

A third studio album, ''Bantam Cock'', followed in 1972. Its title track became a folk standard and was covered by folk singer Fred Wedlock, folk group The Corries and comedian Jasper Carrott among others. Other songs included "Isabel Makes Love upon National Monuments", "Sister Josephine", and "Brother Gorilla", an English adaptation of Georges Brassens' "''Le gorille''". In 1973 he opened for Brassens when he performed at the inauguration of the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff, which he would describe as the high spot of his career.

After ''Bantam Cock'' Thackray's television appearances continued, but his recording career stalled. A compilation album, ''The Very Best of Jake Thackray'', was released in 1975. His final studio album, ''On Again! On Again!'', appeared in 1977. Its title track, a long-winded tirade about women who talk too much, would see Thackray accused of misogyny, but the album also included "The Hair of the Widow of Bridlington", a song of female self-determination in the face of social disapproval. It also featured two more Brassens adaptations, "Isabella" (based on Brassens' "''Marinette''") and "Over to Isobel" (based on "''Je rejoindrai ma belle''"). The same year he published a book of lyrics, ''Jake's Progress'', illustrated by Bill Tidy.

From the late 1970s he had made most of his living on the live circuit, touring in Europe, North America and the Far East, but in 1982 he returned to television with ''Jake Thackray and Songs'', a six-part series on BBC2 featuring Thackray and guests, including Richard and Linda Thompson and Ralph McTell, performing in a variety of venues. An album of the same name, recorded live at the Stables Theatre, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, as part of the recordings for the TV show, followed in 1983. Thackray's last release during his life was a compilation, ''Lah-Di-Dah'', released in 1991.

Although he gave up teaching for show business, Thackray did not really like being what he called "a performing dick". He was uncomfortable with big audiences, and would settle for a pub or community hall in preference to the grandeur of the London Palladium (although he appeared there in a Royal Variety Performance). He became disillusioned with stage life – he is recorded as saying "I'd never liked the stage much and I was turning into a performing man, a real Archie Rice [the hack music hall comic in John Osborne's ''The Entertainer''], so I cancelled gigs and pulled out" – and he was plagued by a self-doubt and a breakdown in confidence that Ralph McTell describes as "catastrophic". His style of work was also falling out of fashion: his literate, witty lyrics and tales of rural Yorkshire had little resonance in the punk and Thatcher years, folk audiences had lost interest in contemporary song, and in the days of alternative comedy his bawdy humour was deemed sexist and outdated. He ultimately gave up performing in the early 1990s, and turned to journalism – for four years he wrote a weekly column for the ''Yorkshire Post''.

Retirement and death

In the 1990s Thackray withdrew to his home in Monmouth, South Wales, where he had settled with his family in the late 1960s, beset by health and financial problems – he had developed a serious drink problem, and was declared bankrupt in 2000. He had always been an observant Roman Catholic, and became increasingly religious in his later years, limiting his musical activities to performing the Angelus at his local church. He died of heart failure on 24 December 2002 at the age of 64, leaving his widow, Sheila, from whom he was separated, and three sons, Bill, Sam and Tom.

Revival in interest

In May 2002 a group of fans formed the Jake Thackray Project with the intention of making more of Thackray's work available to the public. With Thackray's cooperation, the project team, led by record producer David Harris, received permission from EMI to produce a double CD of 42 songs not on any then-available release, limited to 200 copies, which was released in November 2002 with cover art by Bill Tidy. After Thackray's death the following month EMI consented to a further edition of 100 copies. This revival of interest led to the release of two mass market CDs the following year: ''The Very Best of Jake Thackray'' on EMI, and ''The Jake Thackray Collection'' on HMV. The Jake Thackray Project went on to release a series of remastered live recordings. A musical written by Barnsley-born poet Ian McMillan based on Thackray's songs and their characters, ''Sister Josephine Kicks the Habit'', premiered in 2005 and toured the north of England. A rewrite by Alan Plater was due to tour the UK in 2007, but is on hold following the death of executive producer Ian Watson.

2006 saw a major retrospective. EMI released an expanded, 29-song double CD edition of ''Live Performance'', and ''Jake in a Box'', a 4-CD box set containing Thackray's four studio albums and six singles in their entirety, plus 25 unused tracks recorded in the ''Last Will and Testament'' sessions in 1967, eleven songs recorded for the abandoned album in 1970, and a handful of other rarities. Comedian and writer Victor Lewis-Smith produced a television documentary, ''Jake on the Box'', for the BBC.

In an interview on the BBC's ''Culture Show'' (broadcast 8 August 2009), Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys cited Thackray as an influence, and in another 2009 interview with XM Radio Turner cited Thackray when specifically discussing their song entitled "Cornerstone." Similarly the Courteeners' songwriter Liam Fray cites Thackray as influence on the group's MySpace page.

Discography

Studio albums

''The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray'' — EMI — 1967

''Jake's Progress'' — EMI Records — 1969

''Bantam Cock'' — EMI Records — 1972

''On Again! On Again!'' — EMI Records — 1977

Live albums

''Live Performance'' — EMI Records — 1971; reissued 1976; reissued in 2006 as an expanded double CD

''Jake Thackray and Songs'' — Dingles Records — 1983

''Live at the Lobster Pot'' — 2005

''Live at the Lobster Pot volume 2'' — 2005

''Jake Thackray - Live in Germany'' — JTP - 2005

Compilations

''The Very Best of Jake Thackray'' — EMI Records — 1975 re-released 2003

''Lah-Di-Dah'' — EMI Records — 1991

''The Jake Thackray Project'' — JTP — 2002 (Limited edition of 300)

''The Jake Thackray Collection'' — HMV — 2003

''Jake in a Box'' (4 CD Box set) — EMI Records — 2006

References

External links

[ Jake Thackray] on Allmusic

The Jake Thackray Project

Sister Josephine kicks the habit musical

Momus tribute to Jake Thackray

Jake Thackray Books of Condolences

Category:1938 births Category:2002 deaths Category:Alumni of Durham University Category:English male singers Category:English poets Category:English Roman Catholics Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English songwriters Category:English folk guitarists Category:People from Leeds

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