Stratford-upon-Avon Second World War Memorial

The Stratford-upon-Avon Second World War Memorial, built around 1954, is a war memorial made of limestone. It features a concave wall constructed of coursed limestone ashlar with moulded coping stones, approached by a semi-circular base with three steps. The top of the wall is inscribed with a quotation from William Shakespeare’s play Henry V, specifically from Act IV, Scene iii, known as the St Crispin’s Day speech, which reads:

FROM THIS DAY TO THE ENDING OF THE WORLD, BUT WE IN IT SHALT BE / REMEMBERED: WE FEW, WE HAPPY FEW, WE BAND OF BROTHERS.

Beneath this inscription, there are five bronze plaques set in chamfered niches. The central plaque is dedicated to the men of Stratford-upon-Avon who lost their lives in the 1939-1945 war, inscribed with:

IN / GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF / STRATFORD / UPON / AVON / WHO LAID DOWN / THEIR LIVES FOR / THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE 1939-1945 / WAR.

The names of the 100 men who died in the conflict are listed on the other four plaques. Below the central stone shelf, which is intended for displaying wreaths, there are additional bronze plaques on either side. The left plaque is inscribed with a tribute to those killed on active service or in a war-like nature since 1945, listing five names. The right plaque is titled SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1946 and includes six additional names.