St Michael's on Wyre War Memorial

A First World War memorial predating 1932, with later additions.

MATERIALS: white granite, lead lettering.

DESCRIPTION: standing in a small gravelled area bounded by tarmac, set into the boundary of the churchyard of the Church of St Michael. The memorial faces west. It comprises a Celtic cross rising from a rough-hewn tapering plinth with a smooth upper surface, and a sloping tablet at the foot of the plinth. Inscriptions are in applied lead lettering. The wheel-head cross has interlace designs in low relief. Below this is the inscription: THIS STONE/ IS DEDICATED/ IN PROUD AND/ LOVING MEMORY/ OF/ THE MEMBERS/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO FELL IN THE/ GREAT WARS/ THAT GENERATIONS/ YET UNBORN/ MAY NOT FORGET/ HOW MUCH THEY OWE/ TO THE BRAVE MEN/ WHO AT THE CALL/ OF DUTY/ FOUGHT FOR THE/ HONOUR/ OF THEIR COUNTRY/ AND FOLLOWING/ THE GREAT EXAMPLE/ WILLINGLY LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES/ FOR OTHERS/ 1914 – 1918.

The west face of the plinth records the names of 18 men who died in the First World War as well as one who died in Russia in 1919, and was awarded the Military Medal. Names are listed alphabetically, without rank.

The stone tablet at the foot of the memorial reads 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES)/ “MAKE THEM TO BE NUMBERED WITH THY/ SAINTS IN GLORY EVERLASTING”/ (NAME) – PALESTINE 1947.

SUBSIDIARY ITEMS: shouldered sandstone gateposts with pecked faces and dressed margins stand at either side of the opening into the memorial garden, at the back of the pavement. Square bollards flank the memorial at the rear.