William St Claire was the tireless and ardent campaigner for the return of Parthenon marbles to Greece.
When William St Claire passed away on June 30th, 2021, Greece lost one of its most ardent campaigners for the return of the Parthenon marbles.
The Parthenon marbles are a collection of sculptures taken from the Parthenon frieze by Lord Elgin in the 1801-1812 period they were transported to England.
Today, the Elgin marbles, as they have been dubbed by the British, are on display at the British Museum, as Elgin was exonerated after a public debate in Parliament and sold to the British government in 1816.
Certain people in England, such as Lord Byron, likened Elgin's acquisition of the precious marbles to vandalism and looting.
Since the 1990s Greece began to campaign asking for Parthenon marbles to return where they belong to the Parthenon frieze. The campaign continues to this day with the British Museum claiming membership,
William St Claire's four writings on the Parthenon sculptures stress their cultural value and the importance to return to their righteous owner, Greece.
The British historian's campaign brought him into a confrontation with the British Museum in London regarding the ownership rights of the priceless various arts.
In a new edition of William St Claire's book "Lord Elgin and the Marbles," the historian exposed that the museum staff caused irreparable damage to the sculptures in an effort to clean them in the late 1930s
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