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Portland stone column with a moulded plinth surmounted by a bronze figure of Victory holding the palm of Victory in her outstretched right hand. On the front of the shaft beneath the inscription PAX is a bronze panel of a soldier, standing with arms reversed.

Eccles' principal war memorial to those who died in the First World War was unveiled in 1925. This was later than in many other Lancashire towns but is explained in part by the erection of memorials in individual communities and streets within the borough. The scheme to erect a war memorial for the whole borough was launched in February 1924. Various ideas for a memorial were discussed - including a bridge across the Manchester Ship Canal and a new peal of bells for the parish church - before it was decided to erect a more conventional war memorial on a site in the centre of the town, close to the town hall. The commission was given to the Manchester sculptor, John Cassidy. When, in January 1925 Cassidy displayed a model of the memorial in Eccles, local subscriptions were still being collected. Scrolls taken from many of the local street memorials were placed beneath the foundation stone. The memorial was unveiled in August 1925 by Lord Derby who acknowledged the symbolism of the memorial, observing that among the different purposes it served was to be 'an unspeaking appeal to those who came after us to avoid war as far as honour would allow.' The laying out of the area around the memorial in York stone and flower beds, added to the importance of this public space.

circa

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At risk

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No damage

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