Slough Town War Memorial In Churchyard Of St Mary'S Church

Slough Town War Memorial in Churchyard of St Mary's Church

This memorial cross was erected in 1921 to commemorate those from Slough who fell in the First World War, with names of the town's Second World War dead added subsequently.

The memorial is constructed of Rutland stone with Portland stone plaques. It consists of a faceted column that tapers elegantly as it rises, topped with a medieval-style Greek cross pattern. The cross bears carved symbols on its west and east faces: chi-rho, alpha, omega, and the letter 'S' for 'Salvator' (saviour). The column rises from a square plinth on a stepped base, which sits upon a twelve-sided drum pedestal mounted on a circular plinth.

The inscriptions are carved in undercut lettering. The circular base carries text in serif capitals reading, in an anti-clockwise direction from the west: "THERE IS BUT ONE TASK FOR ALL -/ ONE LIFE FOR EACH TO GIVE/ WHO STANDS IF FREEDOM FALL?/ WHO DIE IF ENGLAND LIVE?" The square plinth bears inscriptions in Gothic lettering on four faces: the west elevation reads "Slough/ Town Memorial/ to the honour of / ALMIGHTY GOD/ and in the memory of the men/ who gave their lives/ in the Great War"; the south elevation states "Translated from the/ Warfare of the world/ into the peace of God"; the east elevation reads "Upon the base/ of this memorial are/ inscribed the names of/ men from Slough/ who fell in the Great/ War 1914-1918 +"; and the north elevation carries "Faithful unto death their name liveth for evermore." A later dedication on the west face commemorates those who died in the Second World War: "AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE FROM/ THIS TOWN WHO HAVE SINCE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN THE CAUSE OF PEACE."

Twelve Portland stone panels form the drum pedestal, inscribed with the names of three hundred and sixteen war dead in the form of first name, middle initial(s), and surname. The roll includes one woman: Nurse Vera L Carter, whose funeral was reported in the Slough Observer on 20 July 1918.

Planning for the memorial began in early 1919 and was funded by public subscription. The design was created by architect and artist Alfred Y Nutt, with the approved design selected in early 1921 as his second proposal, the first having been rejected on cost grounds. Alfred Nutt (1847–1924) was born and educated in Leicestershire. After training as an architect, he entered the Office of Works at Windsor Castle and subsequently became Surveyor to the Dean and Canons of Windsor, with much of his work involving maintenance of St George's Chapel. In 1901 he became Clerk of Works at Windsor Castle, also holding the post of Chapel Surveyor until his retirement in 1912. Upon retiring, he moved with his family to 'Morcott West' on Sussex Place in Slough, which presumably led to his involvement with the town's memorial. Nutt's design drawings are held by the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum. The stonemason was E Sargeant of Slough, who also worked on the Chalvey War Memorial.

The memorial was unveiled by Colonel Robert Carrington and dedicated by the Bishop of Buckingham, the Right Reverend P H Eliot, at a ceremony on 28 September 1921. Names of Second World War dead were later added on stone paving slabs laid around the base, with a further dedicatory inscription added to the west face. A second memorial to the fallen of both World Wars, dedicated by the Bishop of Buckingham in 1950, stands in the west porch of St Mary's Church.