Barnsley War Memorial

MATERIALS: sandstone, bronze.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in front of the Grade II-listed Town Hall that was opened in 1933, eight years after the memorial was unveiled. The memorial comprises a 2.4m tall bronze statue of a young soldier dressed in a greatcoat and wearing a steel helmet standing at ease atop a massive sandstone pylon. The pylon has a large square capstone and recessed angles, a heavy rectangular base and moulded plinth. The whole is raised on three steps on the forecourt in front of the Town Hall, rising above pavement level on Church Street. he steps at the back of the memorial have been absorbed into the 1933 re-landscaping. The total height of the memorial is c8m.

The principle dedicatory inscription on the front face of the pylon, incised and gilded, reads IN/ HONOURED MEMORY/ OF/ THE MEN AND WOMEN/ OF/ BARNSLEY/ WHO/ LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ 1939 – 1945. Above this, linking the pylon and its capstone, a large wreath is carved in relief. On the left face of the pylon is carved THEIR NAME/ LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.

To the rear, facing the Town Hall, is a large bronze plaque in Art Nouveau style of a winged victory with a wreathed standard in her left hand and a shield bearing the town arms in her right. On the right face of the pylon is carved AND WE IN FAITH/ KEEP THAT PEACE/ FOR WHICH THEY PAID. Standing on top of the pylon is the 2.4m tall bronze figure of an infantryman in helmet and greatcoat standing with one foot slightly advanced, his bayonet fixed and rifle butt grounded.

The memorial is enclosed by chains suspended from metal posts around the base, which are not included in the listing.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 31 January 2017.