Fartown and Birkby war memorial

The Fartown and Birkby War Memorial is a First World War memorial built in 1921 by Hart, Son, Peard and Co Ltd, with an inscription for the Second World War added later.

Constructed from granite, the memorial features a tall pedestal with a tapering shaft and panelled sides, topped by a cornice and a life-size bronze figure of an infantry soldier in full fighting kit, standing at ease with his hands on an upright rifle resting on the ground. The entire structure is set on a two-stepped platform made of the same granite.

Originally, each of the four panelled sides of the pedestal displayed bronze plaques with dedications and the names of 242 men from the district who lost their lives during the First World War. These have been replaced with modern black polished granite plaques. The front (south-west) face features a carved wreath at the top and an inscription that reads: 'THIS MONUMENT/ HAS BEEN ERECTED BY/ PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION IN/ MEMORY OF THE MEN/ FROM THE FARTOWN AND/ BIRKBY DISTRICTS WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR/ THEIR COUNTRY IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ FOR GOD AND KING AND HOME/ THEY GAVE THEIR ALL'. Below this, there is a smaller plaque stating: 'THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY/ GENERAL SIR IAN HAMILTON G.C.B. G.C.M.G. M.G.D.S.O./ ON SATURDAY APRIL 2nd 1921'. Additionally, there is a plaque that reads: 'IN MEMORY OF ALL/ THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES DURING THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR/ AND ALL SUBSEQUENT/ CONFLICTS', which was added later. The other sides of the pedestal continue to bear plaques with the names of the fallen, including a smaller plaque at the base of the rear (north-east) face.