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Castledawson

This memorial is located in Bell Park, off Station Road. The memorial is a black granite obelisk which has inscriptions incised and painted silver/white. The obelisk rises from a two-tiered square plinth with chamfered upper edges, itself resting on a single square base. The whole is of granite and is bounded by paving. All faces of the polished black portion of the obelisk are inscribed. The memorial commemorates those killed in World Wars I and II as well as members of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve killed in the 1970s.

In 2010, a grant of £300 was offered through the Small Grants Scheme towards the addition of names missing from the memorial. The names of thirty-two people were found to have been omitted following research undertaken by the Castledawson Branch of the Royal British Legion that culminated in their book, 'They Didn’t Come Home'. Following cleaning with low-pressure water and non-metallic brushes there was space on one of the faces of the memorial for the missing names to be added in-keeping with the existing inscriptions; twenty-six from the First World War and six from World War Two.

The memorial was sculpted by Watterson’s Monumental Sculptors in 1994. It was unveiled during a Service of Dedication on Sunday 19th June 1994. The Service was conducted by the Reverend F. Munce and Reverend Doctor A. R. Rogers. Readings were by the Reverend Father O’Byrne and the Royal British Legion Area President, Colonel Sir Denis Faulkner, CBE VRD DL. The unveiling was performed by Mr Leslie Bell, a veteran of the First World War. The Petition to dedicate was made by the Chairman of the Magherafelt District Council. In response, the act of Dedication was undertaken by the Reverend R. Stewart. The Act of Remembrance was by Lord Moyola. The Last Post was then sounded, followed by a two minutes silence that was ended by the Reveille. There then followed a Lament of the Flowers of the Forest during which wreaths were laid by the Chairman of the Magherafelt District Council; the Northern Ireland Area Chairman of the Royal British Legion, Mr J. P. Thompson; and the President of the Castledawson & District Branch of the Royal British Legion. During the Service the following hymns were sung; 'O God our help in ages past', 'O valiant hearts' and 'Supreme Sacrifice'. The Service concluded with the playing of the National Anthem.

The inscription on the front face reads:

“This memorial is dedicated
to the gallant
members of H.M. Forces
from this District
who made the supreme sacrifice
in two World Wars
and subsequent conflicts” 

And underneath:
“Lest we forget”.

One side face is inscribed “1914-1918” and underneath are fifty names commemorated from this war.

The other side face is inscribed “1939-1945” and underneath with the names of fifteen people killed during this war. Beneath, it is further inscribed “1914-1918” and “continued” followed by a further twenty-eight names of those who died in World War One.

The rear face bears an engraving of the Ulster Defence Regiment emblem, below which it is inscribed “U.D.R.” underneath which is the names of three members of the Regiment who lost their lives in the 1970s and the year of their deaths. Underneath this is an engraving of the Royal Ulster Constabulary emblem with the inscription “R.U.C.R.” beneath which is the name of a person also killed in the 1970s and the year of their death in 1976.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM3845
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 000000

War Memorials in Ulster

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

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