Northwest panel, Radford War Memorial, Coventry CV6

Image: © Robin Stott Taken: 9 Aug 2012

The memorial commemorates those from Radford who fought in the First World War; it was given to the village in 1919 by Vernon Pugh. It was designed and constructed in pink-brown Runcorn stone by Mr T.R.J.Meakin, architect, of Coventry. The stonework was carried out by Messrs J.White & Sons, Yardley (east Birmingham); the bronze panels were executed by Messrs Baker & Sons, St Paul's Square, Birmingham. The shadow appears as it does because the panel is bowed. Notice how the names break when they meet the edge of the panel; notice, too, names that appear several times, perhaps men from the same family. A cross in front of a name indicates a death. Two of the four bronze panels on the sides of the obelisk are missing. It was originally sited on the corner of Radford Common, at the junction with Engleton Road, seen in Image It was moved in the 1980s at the suggestion of the British Legion, who were concerned about the damage it was incurring, and the sometimes muddy nature of the site. Thirty years on, between St Nicholas Church and the Radford Road, the memorial is no less prone to damage.

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