Summary
First World War memorial designed by Messrs Graham and Hill of Newcastle, unveiled 1921, restored and re-dedicated 2016.
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial to the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers, which stands in Walker Park, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an imposing memorial in the Classical style.
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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Walker as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the 5th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, who lost their lives in the First World War.
The infantry regiment of Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was first raised as the 5th Regiment of Foot in 1674. During the First World War the regiment raised 52 battalions, making it the second largest after the London Regiment. The 5th Battalion was one of the regiment’s Territorial units, raised in August 1914 in Walker. Following training in Hexham the battalion was deployed to France in 1915, serving on the Somme, at Arras, Ypres, and in a number of actions in 1918. It was disbanded on 10 November 1918: some 1,050 men and officers of the battalion had died in France.
The memorial to the 5th Battalion was unveiled on 24 May 1921 by Colonel EPA Riddell CMG DSO and dedicated by the vicar of Longhurst, Reverend AS Wardroper. It was designed by Messrs Graham and Hill of Newcastle and built by Mr George Carr. The plot in Walker Park was given by Newcastle Corporation. The memorial originally included bronze plaques which were stolen and have been replaced in stone. Following restoration, the memorial was unveiled on 30 July 2016 by Lieutenant RV Brims CB CBE DSO.
Details
The memorial stands at the centre of Walker Park. It takes the form of a tapering pylon, c5m tall and rectangular on plan, in coursed freestone. The top of the pylon is ornamented with a moulded band. The pylon’s stepped plinth stands on a three-stepped base. The front face of the plinth projects forward, forming a panel on which is inscribed DULCE ET DECORUM/ EST/ PRO PATRIA MORI.
A dark stone plaque to the front of the pylon, replacing the original bronze panel, reads THE FIFTH BATTALION/ NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS/ IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF/ THE BATTALION WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR/ THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ AND THOSE OFFICERS AND MEN OF/ THE ROYAL NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS/ AND THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF FUSILIERS/ WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN CONFLICTS SINCE/ ERECTED BY MEMBERS/ AND FRIENDS OF THE BATTALION/ “QUO FATA VOCANT”/ (WHITHER THE FATES CALL)/ THE ROLL OF HONOUR IS HELD IN/ WALKER PARISH CHURCH. A further stone plaque, to the top of the pylon, depicts the regimental badge (replacing the original bronze casting).
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 23 November 2017.
