War Memorial, Newry Street, Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 3DB

War Memorial, Newry Street, Banbridge

This Portland stone and bronze war memorial was designed by the sculptor F.W. Pomeroy and unveiled on Saturday 30th June 1923, the day before the annual commemoration of the Battle of the Somme. It commemorates those from Banbridge and district who fell in both the First and Second World Wars.

The memorial stands on a stepped stone plinth of four steps — said at the time of dedication to symbolise endurance, faith, hope and love — surrounded by cast metal bollards, with further bollards placed at the centre of each step. The plinth sits within the central reserve at the south end of Newry Street, facing northwest into the town centre.

The pedestal rises from a chamfered plinth and carries painted metal plaques on each face commemorating those lost in both wars. The plaque to the northeast reads: "IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF BANBRIDGE & DISTRICT WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES SERVING THEIR KING AND COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR. 1914-1918 — 'LEST WE FORGET'." A further plaque was added following the Second World War, recording the names of those fallen from the Banbridge area during that conflict.

Above the pedestal rises a Portland stone obelisk with a continuous frieze in painted cast metal — almost certainly bronze — running around its base and depicting scenes of war. The obelisk is surmounted by a bronze statue of a soldier holding a rifle in his left hand, his right arm raised above his head holding his helmet. The figure was popularly fancied at the time of unveiling to be calling out "Come on the Bann!" in exhortation to the people of Banbridge to follow in the footsteps of their fallen comrades.

F.W. Pomeroy was a London-born sculptor and a significant figure in the New Sculpture movement, widely in demand during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work can be seen across England, most notably at Vauxhall Bridge and the Central Criminal Court in London, and he was also responsible for the sculptural decoration of the pediment of Belfast City Hall, with three further memorials to Belfast luminaries in the City Hall gardens. Pomeroy completed war memorials for Coleraine and Dungannon that are similar in form — a plinth surmounted by a soldier figure — but the Banbridge memorial is considered to surpass these in dynamism and is thought to be among his finest work. C.E.B. Brett, writing for the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, described it as "much better than most." The memorial cost £2,500, raised by public subscription, and at the dedication ceremony the Lord Bishop remarked that the artist had "surpassed himself."

The unveiling ceremony was chaired by the Right Honourable J.M. Andrews DL MP, and the memorial was unveiled by Colonel the Right Honourable R.D. Perceval-Maxwell DL DSO, commander of the Down Volunteers, the regiment in which many of the fallen had served. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Colonel the Reverend D.H. Hanson, a chaplain to the Ulster Division, and addresses were given by the Bishop of Down and Connor and Dromore, the Right Reverend C.T.P. Grierson DD, and the Reverend Dr George Thompson, Moderator of the General Assembly. The names of the fallen were read by Samuel Fryar, Chairman of Banbridge Urban Council, who was also presented with a separate Roll of Honour commemorating those who fought and survived; this was subsequently erected in the Free Library and Technical School on Downshire Road. Music was provided by a local massed choir and the Banbridge Amateur Brass Band, with the Last Post and Reveille sounded by buglers from the Royal Irish Fusiliers. An ex-servicemen's parade and inspection formed part of the proceedings. Townspeople were urged not to display flags or make demonstrations of rejoicing given the solemnity of the occasion, and a request was made for all business premises to close during the ceremony.

Almost all the inhabitants of Banbridge attended, along with many from further afield, making it the largest public gathering ever held in the town or neighbourhood. The local newspaper reported that "buried grief was alive again and tugging at heart strings." The memorial was entrusted to the care of the Urban Council by the subscribers, who undertook to maintain it in proper condition. There was a public appeal at the time that parents and educators should teach children to treat the base of the monument as sacred ground, not a place of play.

To the northeast of the memorial stands a later granite monument, dated 1997, commemorating members of the security forces killed during the Troubles.