War Memorials
| Work | Location | Notes and References |
|---|---|---|
| Heath Town War Memorial | Heath Town West Midlands | This memorial, situated in the centre of Heath Town Park, has a bronze sculpture by Walker this depicting a soldier and some relief panels on the side of the pedestal. One of the relief panels shows an aeroplane taking off and the other depicts a naval scene. The bronze casting work involved was carried out by G.Fiorini Foundry. |
| Ironbridge War Memorial | Ironbridge Shropshire | The Ironbridge War Memorial is located close to the famous Ironbridge and features a life size sculpture of a soldier in full marching order. The soldier stands on a pedestal. There are three plaques attached to the memorial. One is inscribed
” IN GRATEFUL/ AND UNDYING MEMORY/ OF THE VALIANT MEN/ OF IRON BRIDGE/ WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1919/ WE THANK OUR GOD UPON/ EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF YOU” the second lists the names of those 53 men lost in the Great War and the third is inscribed” THE CHURCH CLOCK WAS/ ILLUMINATED AS A MEMORIAL/ TO THE FOLLOWING MEN OF/ IRONBRIDGE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DURING THE 1939-1945 WAR./(10 names)” The memorial was unveiled on the 8th March 1924 by Col.A.N.B.Garrett. |
| Heston War Memorial | Heston Middlesex | Heston War Memorial stands in a garden at a junction of the Heston Road. It remembers the dead of both World Wars and comprises a York stone pedestal with a Portland stone sculpture of a soldier leaning on his rifle which is reversed. There are relief panels on two sides of the pedestal. 99 men lost in the First World War are remembered and their names listed. Those lost in the Second World War are not listed. The memorial was unveiled on the 1st June 1918 by a Mrs Becker. |
| Bury St Edmunds. South African War Memorial | Bury St Edmunds. Suffolk | This memorial is inscribed
”“ VULNERATUS NON VICTUS/ THIS MONUMENT/ WAS ERECTED BY SUFFOLK PEOPLE AS A MEMORIAL/ TO SUFFOLK SOLDIERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE/ SOUTH AFRICAN WAR/ 1899-1902” and has a bronze depiction of a soldier leaning on a rock as well as the Coat of Arms of the West Suffolk Country Council. The soldier is bare-headed. A total of 193 men who died in the Boer War are remembered. The unveiling took place on the 12th November 1904. Walker was assisted by the mason Mr.A.H.Hanchet. |
| Old Salopians Memorial- WW1 and WW2 and Sir Philip Sidney statue | Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury Shropshire | This memorial is located in the apex of the angle in the Central Avenue which leads to the school’s front gates and the school itself. It lists those boys of Shrewsbury School who lost their lives in the two World Wars. It comprises a Portland stone plinth upon which is a pedestal surmounted by a bronze statue of Sir Philip Sidney. There are also two relief panels one of which depicts a scene in the trenches and the other depicts Sir Philip’s death at the Battle of Zutphen. The memorial also bears the School’s Coat of Arms. The memorial gives the names of those who gave their lives in the 1914-1918 war, a total of 322 men in all and another 259 names of those men lost in the 1939-1945 conflict. The memorial was unveiled on the 24th May 1923 by Lt Gen Sir Harold G Walker. General Sir Bernard Paget was present in 1948 when the names of those lost in the 1939-1945 conflict were unveiled. Walker carried out the sculptural work, and the bronze casting was carried out by A.B.Burton. |
| The Memorial to the 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders | Keith Moray | This memorial stands in a memorial garden in Keith’s Main Road. The inscription reads
”6TH (BANFFSHIRE & DONSIDE) BATTALION OF THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS” and a depiction of a Gordon Highlander in kilt and bonnet and with rifle raised at the ready stands on a large plinth. The plinth is of sandstone and the Highlander is in bronze. The battalion depot was based in Keith, hence the choice of location. |
| Tablet dedicated to Florence Nightingale | St Pauls Cathedral Greater London | This work is located in the Nelson Chamber’s East Bay of the Cathedral's crypt. It comprises a tablet with “Blessed are the merciful” written at the top and “Florence Nightingale” at the bottom. This is a sculpted marble and alabaster wall monument with a frame enclosing a relief sculpture by Walker which shows Florence Nightingale tending a wounded soldier. There is a round arched top which shows a woman holding a cup to a bed-ridden man whose head is in bandages. |
| Derby War Memorial | Derby Derbyshire | The memorial is located in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter and on the south side of Market Place near to the Guidhall entrance. The memorial honours the dead of the two World Wars and dates to 1924. The Cross, pedestal and base are all of Sandstone and Walker’s sculpture is of bronze as are the plaques. The whole memorial comprises a sandstone ashlar monument with a cross on a pedestal all on a three-stepped base. The bronze figure of a mother and child features in the centre of the memorial. The original unveiling took place on the 11th November 1924 and there was a re-dedication in 1994. The architect was Charles Clayton Thompson and the bronze casting was by A.B.Burton. Walker’s sculpture is often assumed to represent the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus but the notes in the unveiling ceremony programme refer to it as “... a typical English mother her son ...". |
| Bassingbourn and Kneesworth War Memorial | Bassingbourn-cum-Kneesworth Cambridgeshire | This memorial stands at the junction of the High Street and North End and consists of a three-stepped square base surmounted by a double plinth, tapered shaft and Celtic cross with an inscription on the faces of the upper plinth. A laurel wreath is carved in relief on the front face of the upper plinth. The memorial stands in the centre of an enclosure formed by four low red brick walls. Walker designed the memorial and did whatever carving was involved. This village lost 42 men in the 1914-1918 war and another 11 in the 1939-1945 conflict. The unveiling took place on the 22nd May 1921. |
| Memorial in St Werburgh’s Church | Derby Derbyshire | St Werburgh’s has a wall mounted cast bronze figure of Christ with His arms outstretched surmounting a plaque. The bow fronted plaque has a relief at the head with six wings surrounding a cherub's face and a Latin cross at the centre with names in raised upright lettering in two columns. The inscription reads
”Remember 1914-1918/(Names)/Blessed are the Peacemakers” A total of 47 men are listed. |
| Limehouse War Memorial | Commercial Road Limehouse Greater London | In St Anne in the East Church the men of Limehouse lost in the 1914-1918 war are remembered by this memorial which carries the inscription
” TO THE GLORY OF/GOD/AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF LIMEHOUSE WHO FELL IN/THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918/GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS/OF ANY NAMES NOT ENGRAVED IN PERISHABLE STONE/GOD HOLDS ETERNAL RECORD IN HIS HEART ALONE/” The memorial comprises a bronze figure of Jesus Christ and a relief panel depicting a scene in the trenches (a duplicate of that on the Old Salopians Memorial). 458 Limehouse men are remembered. The memorial was unveiled on the 28th May 1921 by General The Lord Byng of Vimy. |
| Dartford War Memorial | Dartford Kent | This memorial in Dartford Central Park, Market Street, comprises a stepped granite pedestal on a granite base surmounted by a bronze statue of a British Tommy. The pedestal is in three unequal sections. The bottom section has three inscribed bronze plaques on it. The central section is inscribed on all sides by the names of the fallen with inset figurative bronze plaques depicting a naval heavy gun and gun crew and a biplane and observers. The third section is inscribed on all sides. The statue of the British Tommy is depicted in full battle dress, carrying a backpack and with kit slung from his belt. The figure stands at ease resting both hands on the muzzle of his rifle. Walker was selected after the Dartford War Memorial Committee saw his memorial in Sevenoaks which uses the same "British Tommy" figure. It is written that the sculptor sketched his design for the Tommy from life; the model was a soldier, recently returned from Flanders with whom the artist corresponded on his return to the trenches. According to Walker the man survived to see photographs of the finished statue. The founders A.B.Burton carried out the bronze casting. On face 1 is inscribed
"IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE GALLANT SONS OF THIS TOWN, WHO FELL IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM 1914-1919 (NAMES)" On face 2 the inscription reads"TRANQUIL YOU LIE, YOUR KNIGHTLY VIRTUE PROVED YOUR MEMORY HALLOWED IN THE LAND YOU LOVED. TO ALL WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM (NAMES)" On face 3 is inscribed"ALL YOU HAD HOPED FOR, ALL YOU HAD, YOU GAVE TO SAVE MANKIND - YOURSELVES YOU SCORNED TO SAVE (NAMES)" Face 4 carries the inscription"SPLENDID YOU PASSED, THE GREAT SURRENDER MADE, INTO THE LIGHT THAT NEVER SHALL FADE (NAMES)" The first bronze plaque at the base of the plinth reads"TO ALL WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM" the second reads"TO OUR DEAD OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945" and the third"TO ALL WHO DIED IN THE KOREAN WAR 1950-3" . |
| Sevenoaks War Memorial | Sevenoaks Kent | This memorial has the sculpture of the soldier used for the Ironbridge and Dartford memorials and carries the inscription
"TO KEEP IN MIND THOSE FROM THIS PLACE / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918" There are two relief panels with Naval and Air Force scenes. |
| Chesham War Memorial | Chesham Buckinghamshire | Another version of the soldier used at Ironbridge, Dartford and Sevenoaks and this time in Portland stone, appears on Chesham's memorial. The inscription here reads
"TO THE / GLORIOUS MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF / THIS TOWN WHO / GAVE THEIR LIVES / AND TO HONOUR / ALL WHO SERVED / OR SUFFERED IN / THE CAUSE OF GOD / KING AND COUNTRY / THEIR DEEDS LIVE AFTER THEM / FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH" 185 men of Chesham were lost in the 1914-1918 war and 77 in the 1939-1945 war. |
Read more about this topic: Arthur George Walker
Famous quotes containing the words war and/or memorials:
““... War on the destiny of man!
Doom on the sun!”
Before death takes you, O take back this.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“Our public monuments are memorials to the Enlightenment.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)