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Kin Beach Memorial

A woman in bunny ears walking into a park, towards a man in a wheelchair, with a large bronze statue of a soldier on a plinth to the right

Paparazzi photo of HRM Queen Sable visiting the Kin Beach Memorial, July 2023 by Erin Righ & Sable Aradia with HeroForge

  The Kin Beach Memorial is an open plaza of five bronze monument statues that commemorate The Battle of Kin Beach from The Third Word War. They have become an iconic symbol, not only of the tragedy of the battle itself, but of the Lapin Protectorate and The Warren as a whole.  
Just as Canada truly became a nation on Vimy Ridge, when they shed blood together for the first time as Canadians, so, too, did the Lapin Protectorate truly become a nation when we shed our blood as Lapinites together with all Woodlanders at Kin Beach.
Queen Sable at the dedication ceremony of the Kin Beach Memorial

Purpose / Function

The Kin Beach Memorial was constructed to honour both the tragedy, and the sacrifices made, at the devastating battle. It honours the many soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict, as well as the brutal injuries suffered by Lapin's own Queen, and the Owsla who protected her and the Royal Family, and carried her to safety.

Alterations

The Memorial is still fairly new. However, there are several suggestions under consideration for additions, including small badgers representing the Meles children, to be added to the central bronze statue. This suggestion has been hotly contested and has been directly opposed by the Bunny Queen.  
Queen Sable: I'm already not terribly impressed that I've been included in the monument -- though I understand that's necessary to illustrate the heroism of Kit and the Owsla. But if you wanted to make the badgers you're proposing accurate, Mr. Prime Minister, you'd have to have a badger in a dark cloak commanding another one to break the neck of a tiny badger cub. And if you do that, I won't be able to make myself go back, so you'll be doing all the speeches to the soldiers every year. And they deserve my support, so let's not do that, okay?
— transcript of a conversation between Queen Sable and Prime Minister Alistair Reynolds, March 21, 2023
  A more popular suggestion that is being considered is the inclusion of a hare at the feet of the central statue, which would be pointing with a paw as though giving commands.  
Queen Sable: On the other hand, if you want to include my Royal Sibling, I am all for it. They deserve to be honoured for what they did.   (in the background) Princess Rowean Won't they hate that as much as you hate that they put you in it?   (aside) Queen Sable: Yes, naturally.
— transcript of a conversation between Queen Sable and Prime Minister Alistair Reynolds, March 21, 2023

Architecture

Five bronze statues on stone plinths in a park by a lake on a sunny summer day; the corner statues of soldiers, the center statue of a man with many swords carrying a rabbit gently on his shoulder

The Kin Beach War Memorial by Sable Aradia with HeroForge

The monument consists of five large bronze statues arranged in a rectangle 20 feet wide by 40 feet long. Each statue is roughly 12 and a half feet high:  
  • The northern corner features a cast bronze statue of CWO Michel DuBois, the Lapin Air Force pilot who was attempting to fly the evacuation helicopter carrying the Royal Family to safety; he was killed in action when the helicopter went down.
  • The southern corner features a cast bronze statue of CSM Dennis Reilly, a Rocky Mountain Ranger who held off a platoon of zombies by standing his ground in the battle,  and emptying his entire arsenal, including a 60 mm mortar, a grenade launcher, a machine gun and a Carl Gustov recoilless rifle. He was awarded the Lapin Star of Valour post-humously.
  • The eastern corner features a cast bronze statue of Master Corporal Jean W. Tremaine, who was among the small contingent of the British Columbia Dragoons that attempted to halt the Undead Horde at the edge of the Vernon district of Okanagan City. The Master Corporal was killed in action while driving her Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) directly into a swarm of zombies to cover the retreat of her company. For this action, she was also post-humously awarded the Lapin Star of Valour.
  • The western corner features a cast bronze statue of Colonel Kia Stretch, who was in command of the Rocky Mountain Rangers assigned to the Warren by the middle of the Third Word War. She ordered her troops to fall back to defend the Royal Family, who were crashed in Okanagan Lake near the shores of the beach, and was also killed in action.
  • Each of the soldiers are shown facing outward from the center, standing at the ready, and armed with armaments typical for their assignment and trades.
  • The statue in the center of the structure is a cast bronze on a plinth of Commander Kitoypoy of the Owsla, shown gently carrying Queen Sable unconscious from the battlefield in her bunny form.

  • The marble plinths of the statues in the directional quarters, and the plinth at the center, are carved with the names of all casualties of the battle.  
    Wow...those bases. They're all just covered in names, aren't they?
    — Archon MykolaVoid, visiting the Kin Beach Memorial with Queen Sable
      The four soldiers honoured in the directional quarters represent different ethnic groups, and there are two male and two female soldiers. This was meant not only to represent the soldiers who so valiantly gave their lives in the Royal Family's defense, but also, the population of the Lapin Protectorate and its people.  
    I cannot think of a more fitting embodiment of Lapinite spirit; all of us vigilant against the Undead Horde, embodied in these four exemplary soldiers; and at our heart, Her Royal Majesty, the woman we have all come to call "Mama Bunny," supported by the Owsla and her Tome Knights, giving all of herself to save her children and all of us. Long may she reign!
    — From the speech of Prime Minister Alistair Reynolds at the dedication of the Kin Beach Monument
      MCpl Tremaine's TAPV was towed to the front of Kin Beach Park and left on display in its shattered condition by parties unknown sometime in December 2022. While this is not officially part of the monument, it has not been removed by Lapin officials or Okanagan City bylaw.  
    Are you kidding? There'd be a riot! People come here just to see it, or touch it and reflect. I understand the Crown is seriously considering having it bronzed as well, to preserve it from the elements.
    — Constable Ann Green, LRMP

    History

    Kin Beach Park was the site of the devastating Battle of Kin Beach. An evacuation helicopter carrying King Consort Realm of Music Meles and the surviving Meles children - also the biological children of HRM Queen Sable - was shot down with a mortar on its way back to the Warren and splashed down in Okanagan Lake near the shores of the beach. Rocky Mountain Rangers and British Columbia Dragoons stationed at the Warren, already overrun, came immediately to the defense of the Royal Family.   Queen Sable, along with Prinx Tempest, King Darth Nikolas of House Meles the Owsla and the Brocktrees launched a rescue attempt, but not in time to save Princess Monkey Meles, the youngest daughter, who was killed by the zombie that had once been her brother, Prinx Xantos Meles.   Already having suffered severe casualties and in danger of being completely overrun, the Dragoons and the Rangers stood their ground. But it was a great relief to them when an overwhelming blast of white light washed over the battlefield, destroying all of the non-literomancer undead and forcing the Tome Zombies to flee the area.   It would not be until later that they discovered that the Bunny Queen had let loose a blast of magical energy at the moment of her daughter's death that was sparked by pure primal rage and despair. She was gravely injured in the blast by critical Magic Drain. Prinx Tempest took command of the Woodlander forces, and Owsla Commander Kitoypoy used an agimat charm to change his liege into her bunny form so that he could more easily carry her from the battlefield. The magical explosion bought the surviving soldiers and Tome Knights enough time to complete their evacuation and retreat from the area.   This was the most devastating defeat since the founding of the Protectorate, and the tragedy brought the fledgling nation together. Somewhat uncertain about their feelings regarding literomancers prior to the battle, the Lapin populace came to believe that their powerful magical leaders and protectors were, in fact, as human as they, and suffered right alongside everyone else. To many Lapinites, the Kin Beach Memorial is the embodiment of their virtues of bravery, mutual protection, and self-sacrifice, which affects everyone from the highest to the lowest walks of life.

    Tourism

    Lapinites have begun to undertake pilgrimages of a sort to see the Kin Beach Memorial and imprint its tragedy and its impact into their lived experience. Images of the monument have begun to find their way into brochures that celebrate its cultural importance to the Lapins.   It has become a trend for teenagers to climb the central statue after park hours and attempt to touch Queen Sable's left hind paw, which is the only one that is accessible by the structure of the casting. While no one quite believes that touching the "lucky rabbit's foot" of the Queen's statue will bring them good luck, as the popular meme claims, a surprising number of young people make sure to do it anyway, just in case.
    This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
     
    This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.

    Text with a silhouette of a soldier in sepia:

    Kin Beach Memorial: by Moonflower

    A blurb on the Kin Beach Memorial from an Okanagan City tourist's brochure The creation of the Memorial inspired Prince Consort Erin Righ to write this filk, which Queen Sable Aradia performed at the dedication ceremony.
    Founding Date
    2023
    Type
    Monument / Statue, Large
    Parent Location
    Owner
    Owning Organization
    The spectacular bronzes of the Kin Beach Memorial were sculpted and cast by Barbara B. Peterson, a former Canadian artist known for her works celebrating feminist history in Canada. The various colours in the bronzes, especially for the uniforms of the soldiers, were created by annealing specific parts of the statue at varying temperatures to bring out different shades in the alloys. The brass casings of the ammunition in the soldiers' weapons are repurposed .50 ammunition casings recovered from the battle site.   Peterson was chosen for the lifelike style she brought to her figures by the Lapin Memorial Trust, which is a commission appointed by Parliament and largely funded by grants from the Lapin Crown and public fundraising. The commission is empowered to make its own decisions about how they will use their funding. Fundraising efforts for the Kin Beach Memorial Project were extremely successful, in part driven by the viral success of the documentary "How the Rabbit Runs," which cobbled together military recordings to paint a picture of the events of the Battle of Kin Beach and the The Battle of Aldergrove.


    We are a nation of fighters; a nation of survivors. We stand ready against the Undead Horde and its terrible depredations, and we stand together! What could be a greater embodiment of all that we are than this lovely and tragic work of art? The artist has brilliantly captured the essence of the struggle that defines us all. How it broke my heart to see all those names carved into the bases of these spectacular, lifelike bronzes, especially "HRH Princess Monkey Meles." Woodlanders, if you're travelling within the Protectorate, and you come to the capital, be sure not to miss this. I found the experience of simply seeing it so moving I burst into tears. We have suffered, but we will survive, won't we? Lapin will survive.
    — From the popular travel blog of internet influencer Tania Alexei, "Confessions of a Wanderer"

    A lakeshore in summer near a park

    The Battle of Kin Beach took place in this part of the shallow water near the shore, where the helicopter carrying Queen Sable's children, the Meles Royal Family, crashed - by Sable Aradia


    A well-armed Filipino man carrying a white rabbit gently from a blasted beach

    Cmd. Kitoypoy carries Queen Sable from the battlefield after the Battle of Kin Beach by HeroForge/Kitoypoy/Sable Aradia

    This photo, which was Now Magazine's Photo of the Year 2022, inspired the central statue of the Kin Beach Memorial monument.
     
    The Battle of Kin Beach
    Military Conflict | Jul 29, 2023
    Lapin Star of Valour
    Item | Jul 30, 2023
    The Mother of Badgers
    Plot | Apr 10, 2024
    Owsla
    Military Formation | Jan 30, 2024
    Brocktrees
    Military Formation | May 24, 2024

    Royal Guard for House Meles



    Cover image: A panorama of Kin Beach - the closest statues to the water are just visible on the far left by Sable Aradia with HeroForge

    Comments

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    Aug 2, 2023 00:39 by Chris L

    Oh crap! I'm the center memorial! Thanks for putting me on there!!


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    Aug 19, 2023 16:15 by Dani

    What a cool plaaaaace!! I love this overview and how the significance of the memorial has worked its way into GoT culture by way of pilgrimages :D


    You are doing a great job! Keep creating; I believe in you!
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