Wigan Cenotaph

Wigan Cenotaph and War Memorial to the

Fallen of the Great War 1914-18

THE Cenotaph to almost 2000 men - and one

woman - from the former County Borough of

Wigan who fell in the Great War, 1914-18 was

unveiled 75 years ago on Saturday 17 October

1925.

The memorial which was

unveiled that day was the

culmination of six years’ effort

and hard work. As early as

September 1919 Wigan Town

Council had debated the

possibility of erecting a

memorial to the fallen, and in

November 1919 a War Memorial

Committee was established,

chaired by Alderman Ainscough.

This committee met at irregular

intervals to co-ordinate

arrangements. In September

1920 the possibility of replacing

the temporary shrine to the

fallen, which had been

spontaneously built in Mesnes

Park, with a permanent

memorial was put forward to the

Borough Engineer, who

estimated the cost at £1500. In

April 1921 the committee

recommended that the fountain

in Mesnes Park should be

removed and replaced by the

new war memorial; the

Council’s Property, Parks and

Markets Committee, however,

disapproved of the choice of site.

Discussions in committee

concerning a suitable location

continued and several locations

were reviewed:

*various other sites within

Mesnes Park.

*outside the Post Office in

Wallgate.

*at the junction of Wigan

Lane and Swinley Road.

*on the Market Square.

*in the Market Place.

*in the grounds of the Royal

Infirmary.

Fundraising also continued

and in November 1923 a street

collection raised over £2000 - a

tremendous sum in those days. In

1924, with time rapidly passing,

the War Memorial Committee

finally chose an acceptable site -

immediately in front of All Saints

Parish Church, in the very centre

of the town - and the Rector and

Parish Council promptly donated

the land.

Unveiled

Events now moved rapidly

and by February 1925 the full

Town Council accepted the

design by their chosen architect

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who had

built Liverpool’s Anglican

Cathedral. By May the sculptor

Edward Owen Griffiths was able

to commence work levelling the

site and creating what is now All

Saints Gardens; construction

advanced so rapidly that it was

finished in time to be unveiled in

October 1925, allowing a

Remembrance Day Service the

following month. The final cost

was £4,000, paid for entirely by

public subscription.

Shortly after noon on

Saturday 17 October 1925 both

Wallgate and Market Place were

thronged with a huge crowd and

traffic was halted all afternoon.

The weather during the morning

had been showery but the rain

ceased shortly after 3 o’clock.

The small square immediately

around the Cenotaph was

restricted to ticket holders, and

owing to the shortage of space it

was only possible to

accommodate one relative for

each of the deceased whose

names were engraved on the

tablets, although a special

enclosure was set aside for the

orphan children.

The Mayor, who had lost a

son in the war, opened the

ceremony with a short speech:

“We are come to honour our

brethren who gave their lives for

us and for this country in a just

cause. This memorial is the

witness of our love for their

memory; and the constant

pledge and reminder to us of

their valour and our duty.”

Mr. J.M. Ainscough, the

main driving force behind the

project, then added:

“We are assembled this

afternoon to fulfil an obligation

which has been far too long

delayed; an obligation to place

in some conspicuous position a

permanent tangible memorial to

those of our townsmen who gave

their lives in the great struggle of

1914-18 that we might have

peace and security. After a long

and anxious deliberation it was

decided to place the memorial on

this site in the very centre and

heart of our town, a crowned

cross the symbol of sacrifice and

victory. On these stones we have

carved the names not of those

who distinguished themselves in

the fight; nor that great number

who, thank God, returned

unscathed many of whom are

with us today, but the names of

our fellow townsmen who went

out in the vigour of strength and

youth never to return. I trust then

that in the future our people will

approach this spot with even

greater reverence than in the

past and that this memorial may

never be defiled by any

sacrilegious hands.”

Military Dignitaries

Among the military

dignitaries present was Colonel

Sir Henry Darlington,

Commanding Officer of the 1/5

Manchesters, Wigan’s territorial

battalion, and Major General

Solly-Flood who had

commanded their division, 42nd

Division. The actual unveiling

was by General Lawrence who

had been brigadier of the 1/5

Manchesters in Gallipoli and had

commanded the 66th Division

including the 2/5 Manchesters.

He spoke briefly:

“I believe that if those whose

names are on this monument

could convey a message to us

today it would be to say:

‘Be of good cheer

The night is passing

The dawn is at hand

Only have faith in

yourselves

Have faith in your country.’

And perhaps what is better still,

when your time comes and you

pass to another life you will meet

these old comrades that have

gone before you and you will be

able to say:

‘We carried on the fight.

We never gave in.’

I unveil this memorial placed here

in the memory of the men of

Wigan who fell in the Great War.”

After the Doxology and

National Anthem the church

bells pealed and there was

wreath-laying, first by officials

and relatives of the fallen then by

the general public. As he laid his

personal wreath the late Private

Thomas Woodcock’s little son

wore his father’s Victoria Cross.

Poignant Reading

How were the names

collected? Already in July 1919

the Borough Library had written

to the local newspapers to ask

families and next-of-kin of the

fallen to submit individual

names and had circularised local

churches and firms with a

request for them to send in lists

of their congregations or

employees killed in action. Their

replies exist in the Borough

 

Done