Todmorden War Memorial is a war memorial

War memorial

A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...

 located in Todmorden

Todmorden

Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....

, West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

The memorial is in the garden of remembrance in Centre Vale Park, Burnley Road with sculptural work by Gilbert Bayes

Gilbert Bayes

Gilbert William Bayes RA was a British sculptor and medalist.-Career:Born in London into a family of artists, Bayes' lengthy and illustrious career began as a student under Sir George Frampton and Harry Bates, and so became associated with the British New Sculpture movement and its focus on...

. The War Memorial was unveiled on 9 October 1921.

Origins

Originally the work involved three statues

Statues

Statues is a popular children's game, often played in Australia but with versions throughout the world.-General rules:# A person starts out as the "Curator" and stands at the end of a field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end...

. There were two small sculptures in portland stone both involving children. One was called “The Lamp of Memory” and the other “The Shield of Honour”. The main piece is a tall statue of St George, again in Portland Stone, holding his sword in triumph, having slaughtered a four headed dragon. He stands on a globe supported by draped female figures. This piece is an ornamental fountain and water would project from the four dragon heads.

Inscriptions

The piece stands on a plinth in a horse-shoe shaped water basin with a tall wall behind bearing the dates “1914-18” and “1939-1945”. Between these two dates is set the main inscription, the text of which is given below and on either side and in six bays are tablets engraved with the names of the fallen. Apart from remembering the 659 men from Todmorden who died in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the memorial also remembers the 150 men of Todmorden who died in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and two men killed in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. The names are arranged alphabetically, without distinction as to rank, under their respective regiments.

The sculptures were completed in 1921 and the main inscription reads:

Central fountain

The central fountain piece is in good condition. The statue base was restored a few years ago by experts, after periods in storage where it had deteriorated badly.

Smaller statues

The two smaller statues entitled, “The Lamp of Mercy” and “The Shield of Honour” are no longer there having been stolen in the early 90s, however, in summer 2011 Todmorden Civic Society embarked on a campaign to raise funds and have the statues replaced in time for the One-hundred year anniversary of the commencement of the First World War.http://www.todmordencivicsociety.org.uk/#/war-memorial/4556120121

Gilbert Bayes

Gilbert Bayes’ parents were Todmorden people. His father, Alfred Walter Bayes, was a school master at Lumbutts and had married Emily Ann Fielden of Todmorden. He was a distinguished artist and taught at one time at Lumbutts School. They had four children- Gilbert William, Walter John, Emmeline and Jessie Bayes. Both Walter John and Jessie enjoyed success in the world of art.

External links

• National Archives website article covering some of Gilbert Bayes’ work