Letchworth Garden City War Memorial

War Memorial, First and Second World Wars; unveiled 1921; designed by Onslow E Whiting; constructed of limestone.

The Letchworth Garden City First World War memorial takes the form of a Celtic cross with a tapering shaft rising above a tall stepped plinth. The plinth stands on two square steps surrounded by limestone paving. The south face of the plinth carries the following incised inscription: THIS CROSS AND THE CENTRAL WARDS OF THE HOSPITAL ARE ERECTED IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE MEN OF THIS TOWN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918. Above this, inscribed on the base of the cross is the date MCMXXI (1921). The names of those who died are inscribed around the other three faces of the plinth.

The cross is set in a small garden defined by hedges and backed by trees and shrubs, part of the Grade II registered Broadway (National Heritage List for England no. 1000908). Set into the hedge behind the cross, to the north, is a limestone screen with three bronze plaques inscribed with the 187 names of those who died in World War II. The inscription on the limestone plinth below the plaques reads: FOR HONOR FOR LIBERTY FOR RIGHT 1939+1945 SHALL THESE HAVE DIED IN VAIN? The limestone paving that surrounds the cross continues to the north to form a path connecting the two memorials.

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, 12 January 2017.