Heckmondwike War Memorial

The Heckmondwike War Memorial is a First World War memorial built in 1922, inspired by the 1918 Cross of Sacrifice designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission.

Constructed from Scottish granite, it features a bronze sword and leaded lettering. The memorial consists of a tall cross with the sword mounted on its south-east face, overlooking the entrance to the park. The cross stands on a large octagonal plinth that bears the original inscription, which is set on a three-stage base. The lowest stage includes inscriptions for the Second World War, while the upper stage commemorates the Korean War. The memorial is surrounded by a low ironwork fence on a stone kerb.

The south-east face of the main plinth reads: ‘1914 1919 / To the glory / of God / and in honoured / memory of the men / of Heckmondwike / who gave their / lives that others / might live in freedom. / Let those who come after / see to it that their names / are not forgotten.’ The other seven faces of the plinth list the names of 150 service men in alphabetical order. The upper stage of the base states: ‘Korea 1950-1953’ along with the names of 8 service men. The bottom stage of the base reads: ‘1939 1945 / To the glory of God / and in proud remembrance of / the men of Heckmondwike who paid the / supreme sacrifice / their names liveth for evermore,’ with the other seven faces displaying the names of 59 service men.