Audenshaw War Memorial

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 1 Aug 2011

Audenshaw War Memorial is sited just inside the main entrance to Audenshaw Cemetery. It records the names of 158 citizens who died during the Great War (1914 - 1918). The names of another 61 citizens who died during the Second World War (1939 - 1945) are also commemorated. The memorial consists of a bronze statue of a soldier, wearing battle dress, and holding a rifle with both hands. The statue stands on the granite capital of a square-section column of black marble mounted on top of a square stepped pedestal of granite. The names of the servicemen are inscribed on each face of the column and supplementary names are inscribed on the pedestal at the back. Further inscriptions are placed on all four sides, both on the capital and on the pedestal. The statue is 6 feet high and the overall height of the pedestal and column is 15 feet. Inclined black marble tablets are placed on all four sides and these record the names of servicemen who died during the Second World War. The commission to design the memorial was awarded to the London sculptor, Percy G Bentham RBS of London and it was erected by the Dukinfield firm of monumental masons, W Hewitt & Son, at a cost of £1,270. The unveiling ceremony and service of dedication, on Saturday, 27 November 1920, commenced with a procession of some 7,000 people from Coronation Square to the cemetery, that is, from Audenshaw Road by way of Stamford Road and Shepley Road to Cemetery Road. The unveiling was by Councillor W Richardson in the presence of the clergy and Austin Hopkinson (Member of Parliament for the Mossley constituency, of which Audenshaw was then part) as well as an estimated gathering of 10,000 people. The memorial was dedicated by the Rev. W H Jefferies (Congregational Church). Prayers were led by the Rev. A C Sinclair (Vicar of Audenshaw), the lesson was read by the Rev. G M Beard (United Methodist Church) and the Rev. W E Wallis (Wesleyan Church) was also in attendance. http://www.pittdixon.go-plus.net/audenshaw-war-memorial/audenshaw-war-memorial.htm

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