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War memorial; bronze statue of soldier in fighting uniform, standing at ease with a rifle in his right hand. The statue stands on a Portland stone plinth, decorated with a garland of leaves, surmounting pedestal.

Plans for erecting a war memorial in Lees began soon after the end of the war. A memorial committee, under the chairmanship of W. Lees, was established which settled the question of the design and organised the collection of the necessary funds. The site selected was at the junction of the High Street and Hawkshead Street which was generally approved of because of its centrality even though the proximity of a telegraph pole and tram standard were considered undesirable. Negotiations to have the telegraph pole moved merely confirmed the 'autocratic despotism' popularly associated with remote government departments. [The London firm of MALLE? and Sons were responsible for designing and erecting the memorial.] Lees war memorial was unveiled in November 1921, the day following Armistice Day, by Austin Hopkinson, the local MP, in a ceremony said to have been attended by the whole village. A rise in road traffic led to the decision to remove the memorial from the centre of Lees in 1949. A Garden of Remembrance was created in the local cemetery, Thomas Street. In October 1949, Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Whitehead unveiled the restored memorial which included a plaque, in the form of an open book, recognising those who had died and served in the Second World War

war memorial for Lees

circa

raw year

Condition

At risk

Inscriptions

Signatures

statue

bronze

183 cm high

pedestal

Portland stone

305 cm high

None