Summary
War memorial commemorating Nelson scouts who died in the First World War. 1919 by Job Davies. Yorkshire grit stone.
Reasons for Designation
The Boy Scout War Memorial, Nelson, of 1919 by Job Davies is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: an unusual and particularly effective memorial depicting an actual Boy Scout wearing contemporary uniform and standing to attention;
* Rarity: though many scout groups commemorated the First World War, often with the construction of scout huts, this is a rare example of a war memorial dedicated specifically to local Scouts and was erected in 1919 at which time it was said to be the first such memorial erected in England.
History
On October 24th 1919 the Nelson Leader reported the unveiling ceremony in Victoria Park of a war memorial commemorating scouts from the town who had lost their lives fighting in the First World War. It was stated that the grit stone memorial depicting a Boy Scout 'was the first to be erected to the fallen scouts in England'. It was intended to mark the sacrifice and heroism of these former scouts of Nelson and act as inspiration to the rising generation and was accordingly situated overlooking the playing fields in the park. Scoutmaster Robinson said that as far as he could trace '105 Nelson scouts had made the supreme sacrifice and 156 of his own boys had joined the colours'.
Details
War memorial commemorating Nelson scouts who died in the First World War. 1919 by Job Davies. Yorkshire grit stone.
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