*RHODES* - unknown

This is the third and final statue from Rhodes and, without wanting to end on a down note, I can't unfortunately work out who this one is of.

The inscription below is just a bit too blurred to make out precisely and foolishly I didn't take a close-up photo (it was a hot day and I was suffering from sunstroke by this time). As can be seen its a half-length bust of an oldish bloke in full military regalia so is presumably an army general or a prime minister.

Hopefully I'll find out more information about him in due course - he was located along the same stretch of promenade as the previous two statues just up from the main Rhodes harbour.

Overall:- 6/10

*RHODES* - Alexandros Diakos (1907-1940)

This was another statue in Rhodes which after more Google translating I've finally identified as a Lieutenant in the Greek army who was one of the first to be killed in the Second World War.

Greece became involved in WW2 after Italy declared war in October 1940, the conflict going the way of Greece who advanced to occupy some of Albania, until Germany intervened 6 months later. Despite being less well-known than many conflicts in the war, this marked the first time that the Allies gained a land victory against the Axis forces and it not only tied up German forces who had to rescue the situation, but also proved good for morale across all of the Allies.

Diakos was killed on or around the 1st November and the statue conveys lots of national pride combined with strength and resistance. Apologies for the three pigeons which are slightly spoiling the effect and for the tourist thoughtlessly wandering across the shot (that said at least he gives the statue some scale).

Overall:- 6/10

*RHODES* - Stelios Kotiadis (1912-1971)

I saw this bust of a rather dour looking politician-type when I was on holiday in Rhodes. It was in some gardens near the ferry port and I assumed it was a Greek Prime Minister or similar and would be quite easy to identify, but despite loads of searching no one obvious came up.

Finally after using Google translate and copy and pasting each individual Greek letter from the inscription on the statue, I managed to come up with the name Stelios Kotiadis and after another search, also found this article from a Greek newspaper.

The translation is basic to say the least but the article is dated 2011 and begins with:- 'The unveiling of the bust of Stelios Kotiadis made forty years after his untimely and unexpected death.' This ties in with the dates 1912-1971 so I think we have found our man and it seems Stelios was an MP and Dodecanese Minister.

Can't find anything else about him so he can't have been much of a big shot and the bust itself is basic and not very inspiring to say the least (the weather was sunny though). Below is it's exact location taken from Google street-view.

Overall:- 3/10

*GREENWICH* - Walter Raleigh (1554-1618)

This statue of one of England's greatest explorers and adventurers (a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and knighted by her in 1585) is at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and features him in a typically swashbuckling pose.

That said you can maybe detect a hint of resentment, as up until 2001 the statue was proudly outside Whitehall in the centre of London, but it was downgraded to its present location to make room for a memorial to women who served in the war - more details here.

I guess art imitates life, as Raleigh himself fell out of favour after Elizabeth's death in 1603 and was eventually executed in 1618 to curry favour with the Spanish. The statue was sculpted by William McMillan in 1959 - above right is a photo of it in its original location.

Overall:- 6.5/10