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Leek

This memorial is located within the curtilage of the Grade II* listed Parish Church of St Edward the Confessor, adjacent to Church Street in Leek. It is a Celtic wheel cross with shortened cross-bar arms that rises from a tapering shaft. Both cross and shaft are rectangular in plan. The front and rear faces of the cross and upper two-thirds of the shaft are recessed resulting in a border in relief that is flush with the lower third of the shaft. The side faces of the shaft are similarly recessed. The front face of the cross and shaft bear a Celtic styled motif with the ‘IHS’ christogram at the centre-point of the cross-arms in relief, the rear face bears a carved inverted broad-sword in relief. The shaft rises from a rectangular block plinth of broad frontage with rounded upper edges. The plinth sits on a three-stepped square base. The whole is constructed of local Roche stone. The brass plaque mounted on the rear wall of the church and inscribed with the names of the fallen is associated with this memorial.

In 2010, a grant of £370 was offered through the Small Grants Scheme towards repair works. These works consisted of raking out failed and open joints, and re-pointing with a lime mortar mix to match the existing texture, colour and bonding strength. Cracks in the stone faces were injected with a resin matched in colour and texture to prevent water ingress. The memorial was also cleaned with the DOFF steam cleaning system, but this was not part of the grant works.

The memorial and plaque were both funded through public subscription to the sum of £800. A service of dedication was held on 6th March 1922 during which the memorial was unveiled. The service was conducted by the Reverend E Spink, a former vicar of St Edward the Confessor Parish Church, and attended by civic dignitaries and the officers and men of the 3rd Staffordshire Battery (Territorial Force), Royal Field Artillery. The brass plaque was subsequently dedicated on 29th October 1922. Both events were recorded in the local press.

The front face of the plinth bears the inscription:

“1914 – 1919
To the glory of God
and in honoured memory of those
who fell in the Great War
their names are gratefully recorded on the tablet in the church.
‘Grant them Lord eternal rest’.”

The left face of the plinth is inscribed:

“Also
in honoured memory
of those who fell in
the World War
1939 – 1945.”

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM3881
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 51210

The National Heritage List for England

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

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