Memorials to fallen take many forms

And just some of those war memorials in Wellington are to be a focus of the town's commemorations of the outbreak of the Great War on August 4.

Events begin at 10am at the town's Peace Garden, which was the brainchild of George Evans, a war veteran who saw action in Normandy. After a welcome by the Mayor and a prayer for peace, there will be an introduction and poem by 91-year-old George, and also from Young Shropshire Poet Laureate Mia Cunningham, followed by songs, poems, and prayers for peace from different faiths. Among later events is a rededication service at 11am of the brass plaques at the lych gate, the town's main memorial, followed by a walk around war memorials at St Patrick's, Wrekin College, Old Hall School, and Christ Church.

But research by local historian Phil Fairclough has revealed that there are even more war memorials than that in the town. And how the lych gate memorial was arrived at is quite a story.

"Most people think of war memorials as monuments, crosses, statues of soldiers and so on. But at the time there was considerable argument about their form," said Phil, of Shawbirch.

"Many felt a more utilitarian reminder should be established. The illuminated clock face in the church in Ironbridge for World War Two dead is an example. Perhaps the most utilitarian is a bus shelter in Great Malvern."

In Wellington, there were various twists and turns.

"What they tried to do is to get the county to pay for a county memorial which was going to be a huge cross on top of The Wrekin. That would relieve the financial pressure on Wellington to provide it," he said. "The Wrekin one fell through. Then there was a statue that was going to be built in Church Street. It was to be a life-sized marble statue of a King's Shropshire Light Infantry soldier, fully armed and standing on guard, looking towards Lloyds Bank. But it presented a problem because they couldn't agree where it was going to be. They wanted one like the one at St Chad's in Shrewsbury, but the Rev J Sinclair Moore, the vicar of All Saints in Wellington, thought a cross would be better than an armed soldier.

"It proved impossible to raise the money required for any of the schemes and the memorial committee disbanded."

Thereafter a new committee was established, and the vicar suggested the building of a lych gate, which would cost £400. The plaques of memorial were unveiled on May 6, 1922, by Major General Sir Charles Townsend, the Wrekin MP.

The first of Wellington's war memorials was a crucifix unveiled outside St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church on August 14, 1920. Others are: the lych gate at All Saints Church (1922); Old Hall School chapel (1922); memorial gates at Wrekin College (1927); Wrekin College organ ; Wrekin College memorial hall (1950s); at the boys' grammar school (1950s); a wooden screen in Christ Church; a World War Two victory memorial chapel, with carved wooden screen, at All Saints Church; and the Sir John Bayley Club.

"There are not that many crucifixes or crosses. A lot of them are not Christian, and possibly reflect the classical education of the architects, " Phil added. Nor, he says, do the war memorials necessarily name all the dead.

"There are those who refused to accept that their sons had died and refused to have their names put on war memorials."