Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
AUDENSHAW WAR MEMORIAL Photograph
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 413 | |
Manual Reference | MR/TAM21 | |
Title | AUDENSHAW WAR MEMORIAL | |
Sculptor | Bentham, P. G. | |
Date of design | ||
Year of unveiling | 1920 | |
Unveiling details | November 1920 | |
Road | Cemetery Road | |
Precise Location | inside the cemetery gates | |
A to Z Ref | ||
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | II | |
Duty of Care | Tameside MBC | |
Commissioned by | war memorial committee | |
Notes | ||
Memorial comprises a bronze statue of a soldier in battle dress, both hands holding the rifle, standing on a square light-grey granite pedestal with cornice. Dark marble panels on the pedestal are inscribed with the names of over 140 serviceman who died in the First World War. The principal inscriptions are placed at the base of the pedestal on all four sides. Stone tablets placed around the base record the names of the dead of the Second World War. | ||
Public meetings to discuss the erection of a war memorial in Audenshaw were held in the winter of 1918-19. The appeal for funds was met initially with a good response, the donations given by individuals and businesses being supplemented by money raised by events such as cinema shows. Designs were submitted for the proposed memorial resulting in the commission being awarded to the London sculptor, Percy Bentham. After considering six sites for the memorial the entrance to the town's cemetery was decided upon as the most suitable location. The service of dedication in November 1920 began with a procession of some 7,000 people from Coronation Square to the cemetery. The memorial was unveiled by Councillor W. Richardson. At the time of the unveiling a further £240 remained to be collected towards the £1,270 the memorial had cost. The organisers had intended to hold a collection at the ceremony but had overlooked the need to obtain the necessary permission from the police. The Dukinfield firm of monumental masons, W. Hewitt and Son, was responsible for the stonework. | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1920 | |
Condition | Fair | |
At risk | No known risk | |
Inscriptions | Inscription: (front) IN MEMORIAM / IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE WHO / GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY / THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919 / ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF AUDENSHAW 1920 (left) IN MEMORIAM / LET THOSE WHO COME AFTER SEE TO IT THAT THEIR / NAMES BE NOT FORGOTTEN. / LIBERTY (right) IN MEMORIAM / THEIR BRIGHT SPIRITS STILL TENANT THE HEARTS / OF THOSE WHO LOVED THEM./ VICTORY (rear) IN MEMORIAM / THEY PASSED OUT OF THE SIGHT OF MAN BY THE / PATH OF DUTY AND SELF-SACRIFICE. / PEACE | |
Signatures | Signed: P. G. Bentham. RBS. | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
statue | bronze | 183 cm high |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character: nothing recorded Structural Condition: nothing recorded Vandalism: nothing recorded