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Prestonpans

The war memorial consists of a freestanding Duddingston stone pedestal surmounted by a sculpture of a soldier in the uniform of the Royal Scots. On the front elevation of the pedestal has an incised dedication, on the 3 other sides is a roll of honour of 143 World War I war dead in alphabetical order. A sloping tablet has been added at the front with the roll of honour of 40 servicemen killed in World War II.

In 2016 grant of £16,210 was offered for conservation and repair works. Due to biological growth, the incised inscriptions were difficult to read and damage was being cause to the surface of the stone.  The pointing on the memorials was largely cracked and in some areas missing completely.  There were some areas of damage and deterioration to the carved stonework solider which was a cause for concern.  In addition historically the original decorative railings surrounding the memorial had been removed, later the railings were replaced with modern replacements which were not as decorative as the original railings which included a thistle on the gate.

The works funded aimed to repair, conserve and reinstate original features.  The first step was the appointment of a conservation-accredited architect to lead the project.  A detailed inspection of the memorial was undertaken and a specification of works was developed.  This included the production of design drawings for the proposed replacement railings.  Historic photographs of the original railing were studied closely and designs were produced for the replacements.   When works commenced on the memorial the stonework was appropriately cleaned and the memorials construction joints were repointed with a lime mortar.  Localised stone repairs were undertaken, which included the replacement of  the end of the solders nose which had broken off.   The existing railings were removed and the new railings were installed.  The hard landscaping around the memorial was lifted and re-laid to ensure a level finish. 

The memorials soldier was the work of sculptor William Birnie Rhind. The memorial was unveiled on the 30th April 1922.

The inscription on the pedestal of the memorial reads:
“TO
THE GLORIOUS MEMORY
OF
THE MEN OF THIS PARISH
WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY
1914-1918
—
1939-1945”

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM8665
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 44682

War Memorials Online: 164329

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

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