War Memorial, Mourne Presbyterian Church, Greencastle Street, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4BH

This war memorial stands in the grounds of Mourne Presbyterian Church in Kilkeel, County Down, and was erected by the congregation. Built between 1920 and 1939, and costing £600, it was unveiled by the Earl of Kilmorey on 5th August 1923. The memorial commemorates members of the congregation who served and died in the 1914-18 war, with subsequent additions recording those who died in the second world war and more recent conflicts.

The memorial is a finely executed example of its type, and is composed of a stepped base of finely-dressed granite, diminishing in length as they rise. At the top is a narrow, moulded granite basecourse supporting a white marble pedestal. The pedestal has a plinth with a moulded chamfer and small raised scrolls on the front and left sides, which contain text. The dado tapers slightly inwards. Individual lead letters applied to all faces commemorate those who served and fell. Additional names of congregation members who died in the second world war have been added to the front of the plinth, and further names to the left cheek of the plinth. An embossed laurel wreath adorns the top of the pedestal, which terminates in a projecting moulded coping that serves as the statue base.

The statue itself depicts a full-size soldier in battle uniform and a tin helmet, with both hands resting on the butt of his rifle, the barrel of which rests on his left boot. A marble post, shaped like a tree trunk stripped of its branches, acts as a strengthening pier at the back of the statue and is inscribed ‘JFMD 23’. The memorial was constructed by Messrs Purdy and Millard of Belfast.