Major L.W.J.K. Thomson

About this artwork.

The serious, somewhat stern head of the bust radiates military authority. The inscription on the pedestal reads: “Tribute of the Dutch Army to Major Thomson, killed in action at Durazzo 15 June 1914”. Few will know his name, but in his day, Thomson was a famous man. The major, who lived and worked in Groningen, was sent by the Dutch government to Albania in 1913. His assignment was to set up an Albanian gendarmerie to restore peace during the turbulent Balkan conflict, during which various population groups fought for land ownership. On the 15 June 1914 In the then Albanian capital of Durazzo (Dürres) he was killed, when rebels attacked the city. He was buried with great honor and in the presence of Queen Wilhelmina at the Zuiderbegraafplaats in Groningen.
 
A few months after his death, a national monument to Thomson was unveiled in The Hague, on the Thomsonplein. Thomson was given a memorial in Groningen in 1919. It was the then famous Wageningen sculptor August Falice (1875-1936), who created a bust completely selflessly, which was given a place in the barracks of the military police. Due to the demolition of the barracks and the subsequent construction of the Rabenhaupt district, the statue stood on the Zuiderbegraafplaats from 1996 to 2003, after which it was returned to its original location. A replica of the bust has been in Dürres since 2003, where Thomson is still known as “the hero of Durazzo” who fought for Albania's independence, which at the time was still in its infancy.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  August Falise

• District
  Helpman

• Year of creation
  1919

• Art type
  Monument, Freestanding sculpture, Bust

• Material
  Bronze

• Dimensions
  h 0,90 m (excl. sokkel)