Special magnets ensure perfect reveal for The Queen’s memorial

14 August 2017

Magnet Schultz Ltd (MSL) has supplied a set of special-purpose electro-permanent magnets to help Her Majesty The Queen unveil a new war memorial in London.

The new monolithic memorial dedicated to those who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars by sculptor Paul Day is located in London’s Victoria Embankment Gardens. The sculpture was unveiled by The Queen on a bright, sunny day this spring, beneath the gaze of 2,500 military veterans and the world’s press. The honour of arranging the unveiling mechanism went to events specialist FE UK Ltd. The company rigged a sweeping royal blue drape, which was held in place on the memorial with MSL electro-permanent magnets.

Back in 2011, FE UK had previously deployed special magnets from MSL to reveal a ten-foot bronze stature of Ronald Reagan outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. “For that reveal, the company came to us at Magnet Schultz Ltd to source reliable electromagnets and successfully used them to reveal the US President. After that success, they naturally came back to us for more magnets for this prestigious unveiling,” explains Magnet Schultz Ltd MD Andrew Newton.

The special-purpose magnets are from the same range of electro-permanent units used inside MSL’s acclaimed Electro Kabuki product range. Electro Kabuki is a meticulously-engineered solution used the world over by staging professionals and performing art troupes for theatrical reveal and drop effects using drapes, curtains and even mannequins in product launches, concerts, theatres and live shows. “In this dynamic and high-profile industry sector, everyone knows that the engineering pedigree behind Electro Kabuki makes the system completely reliable. So these electro-permanent magnets were more than fit for purpose for revealing the war memorial,” says Newton.

The unveiling went without a hitch. The drape duly fell to the ground on command, as Her Majesty pressed the release button mounted on a small wooden podium alongside the towering sculpture.

BBC News coverage with video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39202897