Fernyhalgh War Memorial

A First World War memorial of 1921, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: granite carved stones and concrete base inset with ceramic tiles.

DESCRIPTION: standing in a small roadside garden inset in the southern boundary of the churchyard of the Roman Catholic church of St Mary.

The memorial comprises a Greek cross with long shaft mounted on a pyramidal plinth and square foot, on a two-stepped base. Each cross arm has a cluster of oak leaves carved in relief, while the centre has the letters IHS interlaced in decorative script. There is a roll-moulding border around the cross and the central inscription. A similar border surrounds the tapering rectangular shaft, and divides it roughly in half horizontally. The upper portion of the face has crossed palm leaves in relief. The lower portion is inscribed with incised letters filled in black: IN/ THE NAME OF/ THE GOD OF/ VICTORIES/ PRAY/ FOR THE/ REPOSE OF/ THE SOULS OF/ FIVE/ FERNYHALGH/ SOLDIERS/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES FOR/ KING/ AND COUNTRY/ DURING/ THE GREAT WAR/ OF/ 1914-1918,/ R.I.P. The side and rear faces of cross and shaft are plain.

The plinth is roughly dressed, with a central smooth ground to front and sides, and inscribed to the front in the same way as above: ETERNAL REST GIVE TO THEM/ O LORD/ (Names). The names are listed by rank, then by date of death, and include forenames. The left face is inscribed: 1939-1945/ (Names).

The square foot is carved like the plinth, and inscribed: THIS MONUMENT HAS BEEN ERECTED/ BY THE PEOPLE OF FERNYHALGH,/ IN MEMORY OF THEIR FALLEN HEROES. Beneath this is a two-stepped rectangular concrete base, with black-and-white tiles set into its upper face in a border and a cross design.