Birmingham Corporation Tramways War Memorial and Gates

MATERIALS: Portland stone and marble.

PLAN: the memorial stands at about 30ft in height, is around 16ft wide, and 2ft in depth.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial features a three stepped base surmounted by a wall featuring inset panels with names and memorial description. At the centre of the wall a column rises, with an urn on the top and a wreath with ribbons at the base of the front of the column. The column is inscribed with ‘OUR GLORIOUS DEAD.’

The central panel of the memorial wall reads ‘CITY OF BIRMINGHAM/ TRAMWAYS DEPARTMENT/ TO THE/ GLORIOUS MEMORY OF/ OUR COMRADES/ WHO DURING/ THE GREAT WAR/ MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ FOR HOME AND COUNTRY/ 1914-1914.’ Below this, a later marble plaque was added, reading: ‘ALSO THE SECOND/ GREAT WAR/ 1939-1945.’

Each plaque memorialises workers from various depots. From the left, the first plaque commemorates workers from the Second World War, reading: ‘ACOCKS GREEN/ NAMES/ ARTHUR ST./ NAMES/ BARFORD ST./ NAMES/ BUILDINGS/ NAMES/ COTTERIDGE/ NAMES/ HARBORNE/ NAMES/ HEAD OFFICE/ NAMES/ HIGHGATE RD./ NAMES/ HOCKLEY/ NAMES/ KYOTTS LAKE RD./ NAMES.’

The second plaque from the left commemorates: ‘ARTHUR STREET DEPOT/ NAMES/ BOURNBROOK & COTTERIDGE DEPOTS/ NAMES.’ Following along is ‘HIGHGATE ROAD DEPOT/ NAMES/ HOCKLEY DEPOT/ NAMES’ and then ‘KYOTTS LAKE WORKS/ NAMES/ MILLER STREET, WITTON, & PERRY BARR DEPOTS/ NAMES.’ Below these three plaques is a further marble plaque placed after World War Two, reading: ‘CIVILIAN MEMBERS 1939-45/ NAMES.’

From left to right on the right side of the central column, the panels read: ‘HEAD OFFICE STAFF/ NAMES/ MOSELEY ROAD DEPOT/ NAMES/ OVERHEAD DEPARTMENT/ NAMES.’, then ‘PERMENT WAY DEPARTMENT/ NAMES/ TENNANT STREET GARAGE/ NAMES.’, and ‘ROSEBERRY STREET DEPOT/ NAMES/ WASHWOOD HEATH DEPOT/ NAMES.’

On the far right of the monument, another marble plaque commemorates the fallen of the Second World War: ‘LIVERPOOL ST./ NAMES/ OVERHEAD DEPT./ NAMES/ PERRY BAR/ NAMES/ ROSEBERY ST./ NAMES/ SELLY OAK/ NAMES/ TENNANT ST./ NAMES/ TYBURN RD./ WASHWOOD HEATH/ NAMES/ WITTON/ NAMES/ YARDLEY WOOD/ NAMES.’ At the base of the right side is a second marble plaque: ‘CIVILIAN MEMBERS 1939-45/ NAMES.’

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: there is a pair of decorative wrought iron gates which lead to the memorial.