The statue was erected as a memorial to those who died in the war.

memorial 是由名词 memory（记忆）加上后缀 -ial 构成的形容词，表示"与记忆有关的"。作为名词使用时，指"纪念物、纪念碑"，特指为纪念某人或某事而建立的永久性标志物。