Memorial to John Henry Carless VC

The memorial to John Henry Carless VC was erected in 1919 and sculpted by R.J. Emerson of Wolverhampton. It is constructed from a bronze bust and plaque mounted on a Portland stone plinth. The memorial’s plan is rectangular with the plinth tapering towards the top.

The street-facing side features a shoulder-length bronze bust depicting Able Seaman Carless facing forward, looking slightly downwards and to the left. He is shown in naval uniform, with his Victoria Cross medal pinned to his chest, and his cap band reads 'HMS CALEDON'. Below the bust, the word 'VALOUR' is inscribed within a sunken panel on the stone plinth. A small bronze statue of a recumbent lion sits on a ledge below this, and beneath that is a bronze tablet bearing an inscription repeating the words of Carless’ citation as published in the London Gazette of 17 May 1918. This detailed citation describes his actions while mortally wounded, continuing to operate a gun and assisting his crew until he died. The plaque itself features a laurel wreath in high relief at the bottom and a dentilled cornice at the top. The wider, untapered base of the plinth bears the inscription "ERECTED BY / THE / INHABITANTS OF / WALSALL 1919." The memorial stands on a two-stepped Portland stone platform, which itself rises from a concrete step from the pavement. The sides and rear of the monument are blank, although the portrait bust is fully modelled to all sides.