Memorial stone unveiled by Princess Anne to be added to War Memorial
THE Memorial Stone unveiled by Princess Anne to commemorate the centenary of Southport War Memorial is due to be added to the landmark.
Sefton Council has applied for Listed Building Consent to add the 60cm x 60cm circular Portland stone tablet to the obelisk in the centre of London Square.
Southport War Memorial was opened in 1923 by the Earl of Derby and 320 children whose parents had been tragically killed on the battlefields in the First World War.
During the Great War, between 1914 and 1918, it is estimated that nearly 10,000 men and women from Southport served with His Majesty’s Forces overseas or at home, out of a population of 72,500.
The Roll of Honour in the four Cenotaphs of the Memorial included no fewer than 1,133 names when it was officially unveiled.
Princess Anne was invited by Southport Royal British Legion to officially rededicate Southport War Memorial in front of thousands of local people, veterans, cadets and school children on September 29.
A planning application by Sefton Council says: “Southport’s War Memorial in London Square is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* Listed building.
“The material used for construction was Portland stone, and the structure consists of two colonnades and a central obelisk. Each colonnade has one small chapel at each end, and memorial gardens surround the colonnades, which contain Remembrance fountains and pools.
“Names of the fallen appear for World War
One on the chapel walls, and panels have been added to the inside of the colonnades for World War Two and subsequent conflicts.
“On September 29, there was a special service held at the memorial to celebrate the centenary of the memorial - as part of this event a special plaque was unveiled by HRH The Princess Royal.
“The plaque is 60x60cm in diameter and is made of Portland Stone which matches the stone on the central obelisk (which is where this will be installed) that the memorial is made of, there the impact of the installation of this plaque will be minimal due to being the same stone.
“The impact to the structure and integrity of the memorial will be none as it represents part of the history of the memorial.
“The works will be undertaken by Crosby Memorials who are fully qualified stone masons and have done work on the memorial previously in the form of adding names, so they are aware of the importance and significance of the memorial.”
Thousands of people came to watch HRH The Princess Royal as she carried out the re-dedication of Southport War Memorial in September.
Hundreds of veterans took part in a parade which was led by the Band of the Royal Air Force College and made up of Armed Forces personnel and veterans from all three services, as well as cadets from The Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force, The Royal Air Force Cadets and Merchant Taylor’s Combined Cadet Force.
The parade also included contingents from 27 schools in the Southport area as it made its way from Victoria Park, along Lord Street and to the Monument.
Children at local schools also took part in a competition to create pictures or stories with a remembrance theme.
The Southport War Memorial rededication was then directed by Colonel (Retd) Monsignor
Stephen Alker MBE and was attended by senior civil dignitaries and senior military figures.
Second World War veterans who were present as guests of honour included 102-year-old D-Day veteran Harry Howorth; 100-year-old D-Day veteran Eric Suchland; and Ben Benbow, who served in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Crane.
Event organiser, Major Nick McEntee TD VR REME and chairman of the Royal British Legion, Southport, said at the time: “Ultimately, we are hoping that this historic event will be the start of the community really pulling together to make Southport an even better place for all.
“While we have organised this event to celebrate the centenary of Southport War Memorial and raise awareness of the Southport Royal British Legion Hub, we have also done this for our town as a whole to raise Southport’s profile and to celebrate our town’s great heritage.
“All of those hundreds of names on the Monument are local people, many of whose relatives are living here still. They deserve to be remembered.”