Fartown and Birkby war memorial

First World War memorial, 1921, by Hart, Son, Peard and Co Ltd. Second World War inscription added later.

MATERIALS: granite with bronze statue and polished-granite plaques

DESCRIPTION: Fartown and Birkby War Memorial consists of a tall granite pedestal with a tapering shaft with panelled sides and topped by a cornice, surmounted by a life-size bronze figure of an infantry soldier in full fighting kit standing at ease with his hands placed on top of an upright rifle resting on the ground. The whole is set upon a two-stepped platform of the same granite.

Each of the pedestal's four panelled sides originally had bronze plaques bearing a dedication and the names of the 242 men of the district killed during the First World War. These have since been replaced with modern plaques of black polished granite. The panel on the front (south-west) face has a carved wreath to 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 on the base of the pedestal is a smaller plaque with an inscription that reads: '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'. Underneath is a smaller plaque with an inscription that reads: 'IN MEMORY OF ALL/ THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES DURING THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR/ AND ALL SUBSEQUENT/ CONFLICTS', which was added at a later date. The remaining sides of the pedestal have plaques bearing the names of those killed, including an additional smaller plaque at the base of the rear (north-east) face.