Great Harwood War Memorial, Great Harwood, Lancashire

Summary

A First World War memorial of 1926 by Messrs William Kirkpatrick, with additional names from later conflicts.

Description

A First World War memorial of 1926, by Messrs William Kirkpatrick, with later additions.

MATERIALS: Creetown granite, lead lettering.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a large granite obelisk set on a plinth, square on plan, on a three-stepped base. The obelisk is square and tapering and has three main stages. The upper stage has a pyramidal cap and three stepped courses. The stage below steps in slightly, so that the bottom course of the upper stage is a projecting band. This forms the arms of a cross with a raised central shaft on each face of the obelisk, and also with the angles between these shafts. The bottom stage steps out flush with the shafts of the crosses. This stage bears inscriptions. On the east face, in Gothic lettering carved in relief, this reads TO OUR/ GLORIOUS/ DEAD/ 1914 1918/ AND/ 1939 1945. The south face has lettering affixed, with the dates of the Second World War followed by the names of the 55 Fallen from that conflict. The west face also has metal letters reading MALAYA/ 1948-1960/ (NAME)/ KOREA 1950-1953/ (NAME)/ FALKLANDS CAMPAIGN 1982/ (NAME).

At its base this stage splays slightly to a band carved with stylised laurel leaves, with roundels in the centre of each face and on each corner, containing the Lancashire rose. Below this the wider foot of the obelisk is treated as an entablature with stepped cornice and cavetto-moulded architrave. A relief inscription around the frieze reads AT THE GOING DOWN/ OF THE SUN AND IN/ THE MORNING WE WILL/ REMEMBER THEM.

The plinth batters slightly and has a splayed base. The east face has applied lettering which reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN FROM/ THIS TOWN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR, AS A THANK OFFERING FOR THOSE/ WHO SERVED IN THE WAR AND HAVE BEEN RESTORED TO/ THEIR HOMES, AND AS A PERPETUAL REMINDER OF FOUR/ YEARS OF GREAT ANXIETY AND SORROW WHICH WE/ SHARED TOGETHER AND OF THE GLORIOUS VICTORY WHICH/ BY THE MERCY OF GOD FINALLY CROWNED OUR ARMS. The names of the 371 fallen from the First World War are recorded on the remaining faces of the plinth.

Below this the base has a tall upper step and two shallower steps, the bottom step with a projecting nosing.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Great Harwood as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Due to a slump in the cotton industry, an ambitious war memorial scheme mooted in Great Harwood at the close of the war was never realised. In September 1925, Great Harwood District Council agreed to the recommendation of the local ladies’ committee to provide a war memorial for the town in the form of a garden of remembrance and monument. This was to be sited in the park given to the town in 1920, off Hindle Fold. The cost was expected to be between £1,000 and £2,000. Alternative schemes for a St John Ambulance drill hall, and for the memorial garden to be sited at the cemetery, were rejected at the meeting which approved the scheme. The memorial’s inscription is somewhat unusual both in giving thanks for the service of those who returned and in explicitly referencing the unpleasant experience suffered by the civilians who remained at home.

The park became Memorial Park, and the monument was designed and built by Messrs William Kirkpatrick. The memorial is so designed that when viewed directly or obliquely, there is always a cross in the centre of the obelisk, either formed by the raised shafts on each face or by the angles between these, and the projecting horizontal band at the bottom of the upper stage of the obelisk. On 2 October 1926 the memorial was unveiled and dedicated. The unveiling was undertaken by Maj Gen Sir Neil Malcolm and Mrs Ormerod, the latter having lost three sons who are named on the memorial. It was dedicated by Rev AF Johnson, the vicar of Great Harwood. The ceremony included the hymns, ‘O God, Our Help In Ages Past’ and, ‘These Things Shall Be!’, the Lord’s prayer, and the sounding of the Last Post and Reveille before and after a two-minute silence.

Following the Second World War, the names of 55 Fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial. Three further names have been added to the memorial, to commemorate individuals killed in the Falklands war (1982), the Korean war (1950 to 1953) and the Malayan emergency (1948 to 1960), the latter addition taking place in 2004. The metal lettering was repaired in 1992 but in 2017 there were some letters missing. The letters are painted black.

Reasons for Listing

Great Harwood War Memorial, of 1926, by Messrs William Kirkpatrick, with additional names from later conflicts, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* for the strong design interest of the granite obelisk with good-quality detailing and craftsmanship.

External Links

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