Monuments are all around us. We walk or drive past them every day, yet we are often only vaguely aware of their existence. They are in cemeteries and parks; on busy streets and in lonely places; they stand by the sea or on the top of hills. Some are very obvious, such as the Scott Monument, and some are obscure and hidden. They commemorate many things: often the dead of history in wars at home and abroad and disasters, both recent and long past, but...