Hednesford War Memorial And Gates

682/0/10018 RUGELEY ROAD 28-FEB-07 Hednesford Hednesford War Memorial and Gates

II War memorial, with gates and gate piers. Unveiled in 1922 and supplied and erected by Messrs. W. H. Fraley & Sons of Birmingham.

EXTERIOR: Square tapering column approx. 8.5m in height of grey granite. The column is surmounted by a square capital with carved crosses to each face. A bronze inverted sword, with sprays of olive and palm, is affixed to the front face of the shaft. At the base of the shaft are four bronze laurel wreaths upon which are the listed the fields of action of WWI: France, Belgium, Gallipoli, Jutland, Italy, Serbia, Palestine and Mesopotamia. Beneath this the large square plinth carries inscribed cast bronze tablets bearing the names of the 234 men who fell in the Great War. The front tablet bears the inscription TO THE GLORIOUS AND/ IMMORTAL MEMORY OF/ THE GALLANT MEN OF/ HEDNESFORD AND DISTRICT/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY/ 1914-1918/ "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERYMORE". A further stone plaque was added at the base of the memorial commemorating the dead of WWII and the Korean War. Two large shells stand immediately in front of the column. The memorial, located on a prominent hill top site, is approached by a drive approximately 80m in length entered through a set of monumental gates; one double road gate with a single pedestrian gate to the right. The square piers have moulded panels and oversized capitals. The gates themselves are of wrought iron with HEDNESFORD WAR MEMORIAL on the double gates.

HISTORY: The memorial was paid for by public subscription and cost £1, 215. The two acres of land upon which it is sited were donated by the Marquess of Anglesey. It was unveiled by Princess Alice, Countess of Althone and her husband the Earl of Althone on 9th November 1922.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: War memorials are highly significant commemorative structures with a strong historical and cultural connection to many small communities across the country. This granite memorial with bronze ornamentation stands as an arresting monument sited upon high ground and is approached by a long, tree-lined driveway, commemorating the dead of Hednesford from both World Wars.

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, 19 January 2017.