S.O.E. Monument

the secret agents who set europe ablaze

A bronze bust on the Albert Embankment honouring the secret WWII agents of the Special Operations Executive, many of whom never returned.

Free to visit · Lambeth · Lambeth North · SE1 7TP

Opening: Always open

On the Albert Embankment, looking across the river to Westminster, stands a memorial to the Special Operations Executive, the secret service Churchill founded to set occupied Europe ablaze through sabotage and resistance. At its centre is a bust of Violette Szabo, one of the agents parachuted behind enemy lines, captured, and executed at a concentration camp.

The memorial honours all the men and women of the SOE, a remarkable number of whom died in the field. It is free to visit, a moving and often quiet tribute to extraordinary courage, set on a busy riverside that most people hurry along without stopping.

Getting there: On the Albert Embankment near Lambeth Palace, a short walk from Lambeth North or Vauxhall.

Best time to go: Daytime, on a riverside walk along the Albert Embankment.

Insider tip: Read the panels listing the agents and their fates, which give the memorial its quiet power. It sits on a fine free stretch of riverside walk between Westminster and Vauxhall, with Lambeth Palace alongside.

Free things to do in London · London Free Guide