Todmorden War Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Todmorden War Memorial |
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| Todmorden | |
Todmorden War Memorial
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| For the men of Todmorden who died in World War I, World War II and the Korean War | |
| Unveiled | 9 October 1921 |
| Location | 53°43′06″N 2°06′27″W / 53.71821°N 2.10753°W near |
| Designed by | Gilbert Bayes |
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These are they who being peacable citizens of Todmorden at the call of King and country and in defence of their natie land left all that was dear to them, endured hardship, faced danger and finally passed out of the sight of man by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Their name liveth on for evermore.
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The Todmorden War Memorial is a special monument in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England. It remembers the brave people from Todmorden who lost their lives in big wars. These wars include World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
You can find this memorial in the beautiful garden of remembrance in Centre Vale Park. A famous artist named Gilbert Bayes designed the sculptures. The memorial was first shown to the public on 9 October 1921. It was built with a lovely flower garden around it.
Contents
What the Memorial Looks Like
The Todmorden War Memorial is a beautiful and detailed structure. It has a fancy fountain with a large basin. In the middle of the basin, there's a carved pillar. This pillar shows figures of women with wreaths and palm branches.
On top of the pillar stands a statue of St George. He is standing on a round globe. This globe has four dragon heads that used to spout water. The fountain is placed in front of a long wall. This wall has special tablets. These tablets list the names of all the people who died.
Missing and Replaced Statues
The memorial garden also used to have two other statues. They were called "The Lamp of Memory" and "The Shield of Honour." Sadly, these original statues were stolen in 1996.
But the people of Todmorden didn't give up! In 2011, the Todmorden Civic Society started a project. They wanted to raise money to replace the statues. They hoped to have them ready for the 100-year anniversary of World War I.
After more than three years of hard work, they raised enough money. New replica statues were carved by an artist named Nick Roberson. These new statues were officially shown at a special service. This happened on Sunday, 12 October, after a military parade.
Recent Improvements
Because of this project, more work was done on the War Memorial. Paths were fixed, and new stone edges were added. The name tablets were repaired, and the memorial wall was cleaned. The St George statue was also cleaned. Even the stone steps at the back of the garden were fixed. Many of these repairs were done by Bullen Conservation and Nick Roberson.
Names and Inscriptions
The main part of the memorial stands on a base. It is in a horseshoe-shaped water basin. Behind it is a tall wall. This wall has the dates "1914–18" and "1939–1945" carved into it. These dates mark the years of World War I and World War II.
Between these dates, you can find the main message. This message is also written below. On both sides of the wall, there are six sections. These sections hold tablets with the names of those who died.
The memorial remembers 659 men from Todmorden who died in World War I. It also honors 150 men who died in World War II. And it remembers two men who were killed in the Korean War. The names are listed in alphabetical order. They are grouped by their military units, but everyone is listed equally, no matter their rank.
The main message on the memorial says:
THESE ARE THEY WHO BEING PEACEABLE CITIZENS OF TODMORDEN AT THE CALL OF KING AND COUNTRY AND IN DEFENCE OF THEIR NATIVE LAND LEFT ALL THAT WAS DEAR TO THEM, ENDURED HARDSHIP, FACED DANGER AND FINALLY PASSED OUT OF THE SIGHT OF MAN BY THE PATH OF DUTY AND SELF SACRIFICE, GIVING UP THEIR OWN LIVES THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE IN FREEDOM. THEIR NAME LIVETH ON FOR EVERMORE
