Preston Cenotaph

Preston Cenotaph
England

Preston Cenotaph
For the dead of World War I and World War II.
Established 1926
Unveiled 13 June 1926
Location 53°45′34″N 2°41′58″W / 53.75944°N 2.69940°W / 53.75944; -2.69940Coordinates: 53°45′34″N 2°41′58″W / 53.75944°N 2.69940°W / 53.75944; -2.69940
Preston, Lancashire
Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott
BE EVER MINDFUL OF THE MEN OF PRESTON
WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WARS
1914–1918 1939–1945
THIS LAND INVIOLATE YOUR MONUMENT
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name War memorial cenotaph
Designated 20 December 1991
Reference no. 1218458

The Preston Cenotaph stands in Market Square, Preston, Lancashire, England, and is a monument to soldiers from Preston who perished in World War I and II. Unveiled on 13 June 1926, the memorial was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott with sculptural work by Henry Alfred Pegram.[1]

The monument

The monument's main feature is a figure of “Victory” whose arms are raised and who holds laurel wreaths in either hand. The figure stands within columns supporting a pediment and on either side of the “Victory” figure are representations of those who died said to be “pleading for acceptance of their sacrifice”. At the very top of the monument there is an empty coffin (hence “cenotaph” or “empty tomb”) with cherubs and strands of foliage carved around it. There are flagpoles on either side of the monument.[1] The memorial was unveiled on 13 June 1926 by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe of Scapa.[1]

The main inscription reads:[1]

BE EVER MINDFUL OF THE MEN OF PRESTON
WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WARS
1914–1918 1939–1945
THIS LAND INVIOLATE YOUR MONUMENT

The names of those World War I servicemen honoured are contained in a Roll of Honour located in the Harris Museum.[2][3] This Roll of Honour is inscribed on marble tablets on the ground floor of the building.The names of some 2,000 Prestonians are thus recorded[nb 1] Details of seven people whose names were omitted from the original listings were discovered and a framed document recording their names was installed in 1998.[3]

No Roll of Honour was produced for those who lost their lives in the Second World War but the Cenotaph remembers the deceased of both World Wars.

2012 restoration

In 2012 the Cenotaph was restored. The work, at a cost of £835,600, was finished in the Autumn and included the carving of a new dedication to the people of the city who lost their lives in service since 1945. As part of Preston’s commemorations of the start of the World War I, it was re-dedicated in a service on 13 June, exactly 88 years since the original unveiling.

On 23 November 2013 it became the focal point of a projection event designed by international artist Andy McKeown. Funded by Arts Council England, the work drew from the collections of the Harris Museum and the Lancashire Infantry Museum. Highlighting some of the stories and faces of the men who lost their lives in World War I, the work projected all the names on the roll of honour directly onto the Cenotaph.[4][5]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Preston Cenotaph.

Notes

  1. ↑ The Harris Reference Library also holds the original submission forms for inclusion on this Roll of Honour. The families of the deceased had had to complete forms if they wanted their loved ones to be included on the Roll. These were then submitted to the council between 1916 and 1927 and the work was completed on the basis of these names in 1927. It has been calculated that over 400 names were omitted from the Roll of Honour because the required forms had not been submitted, this for a variety of reasons.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Preston Cenotaph. UK National Inventory of War Memorials. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 The Roll of Honour. Harris Museum. Retrieved 24 August 2012
  3. 1 2 Preston Roll of Honour World War I UKNIWM Additional listing. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "Preston Remembers – On All Fronts". tumblr.com.
  5. ↑

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Preston Cenotaph.
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