Crompton War Memorial

The memorial stands in public gardens on the north side of Shaw and Crompton High Street.

It consists of an impressive bronze group atop a four-stepped Aberdeen granite pedestal and two-stepped Aberdeen granite plinth, designed by Richard Reginald Goulden. Additional half-steps at the two sides make the bronze relief name plaques easily accessible.

The large bronze sculpture depicts an athletic male warrior leaning forward, plunging a sword into the jaws of one of two heavily muscular beasts at his feet using his right hand. He wears a loin cloth and a form of cape attached around his shoulders and billowing behind. The beasts are somewhat canine, with exaggerated bone and muscular structures, sharp-clawed feet and sabre-like teeth. The warrior is defending a clutch of small children, also in loin cloths. Two stand on his right side, three on his left, and one behind, in varied poses. His left hand holds that of the third child depicted at his side. It is signed R R GOULDEN SCULP on the left side of the base, by the figure’s right foot.

The front (south) face of the pedestal has a dedication in raised bronze lettering reading: IN MEMORY OF MEN OF CROMPTON / WHO FOUGHT AND GAVE THEIR / LIVES TO FREE MANKIND FROM / THE OPPRESSION AND BRUTAL / TYRANNY OF WAR / 1914 1919 / 1939 1945. Each of the pedestal sides has a tall rectangular bronze panel with the names of the fallen, 346 in total, in relief lettering. The heads of the panels are wreathed and inset with relief profiles of a soldier and an airman (east side) and a seaman and soldier (west side), inscribed beneath ‘PRO PATRIA’.

A bronze panel on the rear face is inscribed with the 76 names of the Second World War dead. The inscription reads: TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF THE MEN WHO LOST / THEIR LIVES 1939 – 1945 / (NAMES).

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 30 January 2017.