Huntingdon War Memorial

War memorial, First and Second World Wars, with additional inscription for wars and conflicts post-1945; erected 1923; sculptor Kathleen Scott; statue cast in bronze on a base of Weldon stone, with a Portland stone panel inscribed by Mr A Easton.

The memorial, recorded as the Thinking Soldier in the UK Inventory of War Memorials, consists of a life size statue of a soldier, partly seated, partly leaning against a roughly carved base. His right leg is fully extended, the puttee and mud caked boot carefully detailed. Two fingers of his right hand rest lightly on the barrel of his upright rifle, supporting its fixed bayonet against his right shoulder. His upper body leans forward, his chin resting on his left fist, his elbow pressed into the knee of his left leg, which is raised, the foot pressed against the base. His eyes, shaded by his helmet, gaze forwards, his expression abstracted, thoughtful. The statue stands on a two stepped base surmounted by a rectangular plinth. A panel attached to the front of the plinth carries the following inscription: TO THE MEN OF 1914 – 1918 WHO WROUGHT FOR MANKIND A GREAT DELIVERANCE ALSO TO THOSE WHO IN 1939 – 1945 SERVED AND DIED TO PRESERVE OUR GLORIOUS HERITAGE. The rear of the plinth carries the following inscription: TO THOSE WHO IN THE MANY WARS AND CONFLICTS SINCE 1945 SERVED AND DIED TO PRESERVE FREEDOM. There are no names on the memorial.

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, 16 January 2017.