War Memorial, Market Square, Dromore, Co Down, BT25 1AW

War Memorial, Market Square, Dromore

This Portland stone and bronze war memorial was unveiled on 19 September 1926 in a ceremony of considerable emotional significance. The memorial stands on the east side of Market Square in Dromore town centre, directly in front of the former market house (now Dromore Town Hall), positioned on a stepped stone plinth.

The memorial comprises a Portland stone obelisk mounted on a chamfered plinth, surmounted by a bronze figure of a soldier in full fighting equipment with rifle and bayonet at the ready. The sculpture stands on a grassy verge and was considered 'beautifully executed' at the time of unveiling. The obelisk is mounted on a column of Irish limestone and displays commemorative brass plaques to three faces.

The east-facing plaque reads: "THIS MEMORIAL IS TO PERPETUATE THE NAMES AND HONOUR THE MEMORY OF THOSE FROM THIS DISTRICT WHO SERVED IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 THE NAMES ON THIS TABLET ARE OF THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE ON BEHALF OF THE KING AND EMPIRE". The plaques to the south and north faces bear the names of those lost in the Second World War. Directly west of the memorial stands a flagpole.

At the time of the 1926 unveiling, the memorial commemorated 91 individuals—90 men and one woman, a nurse—who had been killed in active service, together with another 400 who had served. However, several names were regretted as omitted from the original tablet and were added subsequently. In June 2007, a bronze plaque bearing an additional 65 names was unveiled. These men had fallen during the First World War; their names were recovered following seven years' research by Jeffrey Martin, who subsequently published a book on his discoveries. The War Memorials Trust provided grant aid for this addition, and the bronze was manufactured by Bronze Restoration of Surrey to match the existing plaques.

The design was selected from competing proposals following a public competition in 1920. The scheme of Messrs J Robinson & Son was chosen over that of Mr Wilde, who had proposed a figure of a soldier walking over the battlefield. The original estimate for construction was £1,250, with the work expected to take twelve months. Fundraising proved difficult in the post-war economic climate, and the project stalled for several years before being finally completed in 1926. The unveiling ceremony was presided over by Reverend Andrew Thompson of First Dromore Presbyterian Church, with the memorial unveiled by Mrs Waring of Waringstown. The proceedings included scripture reading, psalm singing, the reading of the fallen's names, and the sounding of the last post by buglers of the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry, followed by an address from the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor and Dromore and the laying of wreaths.

The memorial is a notable example of its type, representing fine sculpture and plaques within a prominent town-centre setting. The ongoing addition of names reflects continued local engagement with the memorial's purpose.