Birkenhead War Memorial

WM name reference IWM1260

Current Location:

Opposite Town Hall Hamilton Street east side of Hamilton Square Birkenhead Wirral Merseyside CH41 6AU

Description:

Cenotaph with moulded base, frieze and name panels on longer sides and reliefs at short ends, surmounted by sarcophagus. Reliefs at shortest sides depict mourning female figures with 1) next of kin plaque 2) laurel wreath and palm branch. Above both the name and figure panel is a frieze protected by a cornice. A band of laurel wreaths is also incorporated on base mouldings. Below name panels - relief shields of the army, navy, air force and merchant navy. The civic arms of Birkenhead are embossed upon oval escutcheons above the figure panels. The dates 1914-1919 are carved below figure panels. Cenotaph originally flanked by flagstaffs to NE and SW, these were over 45ft high with metal bases resting on steps, decorated with laurel festoons, shafts originally painted orange vermillion and finials gilded. Cenotaph is flanked to north and south by rectangular capstones, with lettering carved in black- these relate to men of the Wirral peninsula, other than the Borough of Birkenhead- see separate reports plus some parts included in this report. On the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock sides the names are arrayed in 3 ranks of slate tablets, with 3 tablets side by side in each rank, and each tablet having 3 columns. The top tier of tablets has 19 names, per column (thus 57 per tablet, 171 on the rank), the middle tier of tablets has 33 names per column (thus 99 per tablet, 297 on the rank), the bottom tier has 21 names per column with some variations. Overall the 6 o'clock face has 654 names (from Abbot-Kerr) and the 12 o'clock face 649 (from Kernish onwards) (all figures correct on 30 March 2019)- these two faces are understood to be those who died in the course of the war. The tablets on the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock faces are understood to be those who died subsequent to the war, either from wounds or from other war related causes. The north plaque has 102 names from Aldridge to Nancey, the south side 67 names from Nelson onwards. On the ground, between the Cenotaph and Hamilton Street are 9 of the VC government plaques (as of 30 March 2019)- Edgar Cookson, William Congreve, Christopher Bushell, Thomas Neely, John O'Neill, Arthur Procter, Cyril Gourley, John Davies and Frank Lester.

Campaign:

World War 1

Inscription:

Six o'clock face: IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF BIRKENHEAD/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR Twelve o'clock face: [names] Three o'clock face: ALL THESE WERE HONOURED IN THEIR GENERATIONS/ AND WERE THE GLORY OF THEIR TIMES/ (Names) Nine o'clock face: [names] Base: 1939-1945 WAR/ THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE MAY BE INSPECTED IN THE TOWN HALL Capstone on the return of the wall to the south of the cenotaph [the return from the north end of the east wall toward Hamilton Street]: THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES SINCE 1945/ WE SHALL REMEMBER THEM/ (Names) Capstone on the return of the wall to the north of the cenotaph [the return from the south end of the east wall toward Hamilton Street]: IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF WIRRAL WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE/ SOUTH AFRICAN BOER WAR 1899-1902/ (Names) Capstone on the return of the wall to the north of the cenotaph [the return from the south end of the east wall toward Hamilton Street]: : THIS MEMORIAL PLAQUE IS DEDICATED/ TO THOSE CIVILIANS, MEMBERS OF THE EMERGENCY/ AND OTHER PUBLIC SERVICES/ WHO HAVE DIED AT HOME AND ABROAD/ DURING ENEMY ACTION IN DEFENCE OF THEIR COUNTRY./ THEIR SACRIFICE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN/ BY THE PEOPLE OF WIRRAL. Capstone on the return of the wall to the north of the cenotaph [the return from the south end of the east wall toward Hamilton Street]: THIS PLAQUE IS DEDICATED TO/ THE MEN WHO ENDURED SUCH HARDSHIP/ IN THE JUNGLES AND JAPANESE PRISONERS OF/ WAR CAMPS DURING WW2/ THE IMAGE DEPICTS THEIR DEPENDENCE ON/ EACH OTHER TO GET THROUGH THOSE DARK DAYS/ "When you go home,/ tell them of us and say,/ for their tomorrow,/ we gave our today."