Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 1923, with further names added after the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Lathom War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet dignified Latin cross;
* Group value: with Preston lodges (Grade II) and the Rookery (Grade II).
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Lathom as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 19 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was provided by the Earl of Lathom and commemorates those who attended Lathom Chapel, or lived on the Lathom Park Estate.
The Lathom Park Estate played a key role in the British war effort during the First World War as a Remount Depot. Lathom offered his land so that horses and mules could be prepared for their duties at the front line. Horses came to West Lancashire from all over the world, through the Port of Liverpool and travelled to Ormskirk by rail. After unloading they were ‘drove on the hoof’ through the country lanes to Lathom. Set out originally as a civilian establishment, with an ‘army’ emphasis on the layout, the park was divided into ‘squadrons’ of 500 horses, each with its own superintendents, foremen and 150 grooms. The War Office statistics indicate that between September 1914 and November 1917, 215,000 horses and mules passed through Lathom Park.
The memorial was unveiled in 1923.
Following the Second World War, the names of those who lost their lives in that conflict were also added.
Details
MATERIALS: sandstone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a 0.80m high Latin cross with a plain square tapering chamfered shaft, set on a 1.6m tall square, inscribed, tapering and chamfered, two-stage plinth. This stands on a stone base of two square steps.
The eastern face of the plinth features the main incised painted inscription which reads 1914 – 1918 / TO THE GLORIOUS / MEMORY OF "THESE" / WHO DIED IN MANY LANDS / THAT WE MIGHT LIVE HERE / IN PEACE./ (NAMES)
On the lower, stepped section of the plinth is an incised painted inscription which reads PASS FRIEND, ALL'S WELL.
The southern face features an incised painted inscription of the names of those who fell in the Second World War, preceded by 1939 – 1945 / ALSO THESE WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES.
This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 2 February 2017.
