Lytham St Anne's War Memorial

This First World War memorial was erected in 1924 by Lord Ashton. It stands on a platform in the south-west corner of Ashton Gardens, which were laid out between 1914 and 1916. The memorial is constructed from white granite and features bronze reliefs and statuary. It comprises a tall pylon set upon a stepped pedestal and plinth. The pylon has slightly raised panels on each face and is topped by a hemisphere supporting a bronze female figure in classical robes, with arms raised.

Bronze statues, larger than life-size, are supported by projections on the sides of the pedestal. On the left is a seated infantryman, alert and grasping his rifle, with a warning inscription indicating an expectation of future conflict. On the right, a seated woman who has received news of her husband’s death gazes forward, seemingly unresponsive to a child on her lap.

The west (front) face of the pedestal features a rectangular bronze panel with raised lettering commemorating those who fell between 1914 and 1918 and listing 170 names. This panel extends around the sides of the pedestal, depicting a nurse tending to a soldier’s hand, and a departing soldier embracing his wife, with their daughter tugging at her mother’s shawl. The rear face of the pedestal also has a wraparound bronze panel portraying a procession of soldiers returning from the battlefield, including stretcher-bearers, men carrying wounded comrades, and a line of men affected by gas. Dress, weaponry, and equipment are depicted in great detail.

Plaques on the front and rear faces of the pylon commemorate those who died in the Second World War (1939-1945), with 64 names on each. A further plaque commemorates those who died in later conflicts.