Matlock Bath War Memorial

A war memorial of 1921, with a marble sculpture carved by Italian company Fedele Andreani and Fratelli, the remainder of the memorial by masons James Beresford & Sons of Belper.

PLAN: Square in plan.

MATERIALS: Grey Cornish Granite and White Italian Carrara Marble.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial comprises a Carrara marble sculpture of a soldier and sailor standing astride a cairn and carrying a billowing Union Flag. It is placed on a pedestal composed of a granite pillar with a moulded and dentilled cornice and corner pilasters, on a granite plinth with laurel wreath in relief, itself set atop a stepped ashlar base. The whole is surrounded by a low circular kerb.

The inscriptions are in lead lettering. On the north face OUR GLORIOUS DEAD on the frieze and below IN/ HONOURED MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF MATLOCK BATH/ WHO GAVE THEIR ALL/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR OF NATIONS/ 1914-1919/ with names listed further below. At the lower edge of the pedestal north face "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE". The west face inscription reads DUTY NOBLY DONE,/ HONOUR BRAVELY WON,/ LOYAL HEARTS NOW REST,/ BY GOD'S PEACE NOW BLEST. There is a later addition at the head of the south face of the pedestal ALSO IN/ HONOURED MEMORY OF/ THE MEN WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN THE WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945/ with names below. The original lettering at the foot of the south face of the pedestal ERECTED BY VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTION BY THE INHABITANTS OF MATLOCK BATH. On the east face of the pedestal GREATER LOVE/ HATH NO MAN THAN THIS,/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS. On the south face of the plinth BERESFORD, BELPER.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 27 February 2018.