Hitchin War Memorial

The Hitchin War Memorial is a First World War memorial designed by Walter Millard and was erected in 1922, with additional names added after 1945.

Carved from Portland stone, the memorial is located in front of St Mary’s Church, occupying the south-west corner of the churchyard. It features a cross on a raised base, positioned in front of a battlemented screen. The wheel-headed cross is mounted on a tall octagonal shaft, which is set upon an octagonal base that displays a shield with the cross of St George and has a crenellated moulding at the top. This base rests on a taller octagonal plinth with a projecting moulding at the top. The front of the frieze bears an inscription in raised capitals that reads: TO THE UNCONQUERED DEAD 1914 1919.

Surrounding each face of the base are added Portland stone panels; seven of these panels list names in single columns, while the front (south-west) panel features a relief of a wreath of poppies above the inscription WE WILL REMEMBER THEM, which lists the dead of the Second World War and includes a reference to ALL OTHER SERVICEMEN KILLED IN ACTION at the end of the names. The entire structure is set on a two-stage lower base.

The cross is enclosed, with the front screened by a low wrought iron gate and railings. The sides and rear of the enclosure consist of a five-sided Portland stone battlemented screen with square piers on either side. Within this screen are eleven panels, each containing a single column of names commemorating the dead of the First World War.