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Atherstone

Atherstone war memorial is located in Sheepy Road Cemetery in North Warwickshire. The memorial is a freestanding wheel cross constructed of silver grey Cornish granite which stands on a plinth on a six-stepped base, with each step representing a year from 1914 to 1919. The plinth carries the inscription and names in lead lettering for the 158 men who lost their lives in the First World War with a stone tablet on the steps for the 46 lost in the Second World War.

In 2012 War Memorials Trust awarded a grant of £1239 towards conservation works. These works were necessary as the inscriptions on the war memorial had become illegible and there were a number of open joints which needed repointing. Loose and defective mortar was raked out by hand and replaced with new lime mortar. The lead lettering on the war memorial was re-enamelled and Smartwater was applied to the metal elements of the war memorial. The memorial was also cleaned using DOFF style steam cleaning to ensure the inscriptions were legible.

The memorial was designed by Henry Charles Mitchel and was unveiled on 30th September 1923 by Major The Hon. George Peel, grandson of former Prime Minister Robert Peel. The local paper, the Tamworth Herald, reported that 5,000 people attended the ceremony.

The Inscription on the war memorial reads:
“In
grateful memory
of the
men of Atherstone
who gave their lives
in the wars
1914-1919
let us live to keep
what they died to save”
The names of those who lost their lives during the First World War are then inscribed around the plinth of the war memorial.

Below is a tablet for those who lost their lives during the Second World War. This inscription is as follows:
“1939-1945
(Names)”

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM6091
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 19045

War Memorials Online: 124543

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

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