Waterhead War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 17 April 1920, with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Waterhead War Memorial, situated at the junction of where Brideoak Street and Heywood Street meet Huddersfield Road, 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 well-executed war memorial demonstrating fine craftsmanship in the bronze sculpture of the soldier by the noted sculptor, George Harvard Thomas.

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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.  One such memorial was raised at Waterhead as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

It was built at a cost of around £2,000, with money raised by public subscription. The statue was designed by George Harvard Thomas and cast by Albion Art Foundry of Fulham. The memorial was unveiled on 17 April 1920 by Elisha Bardsley and commemorates the members of the local community who died in the First World War; no names are recorded on the memorial.

Following the end of the Second World War a dedication to those who died in that conflict was added to the memorial.

In 1930 the memorial was damaged when a car drove into it, dislodging the pedestal and toppling the statue which fell onto the roof of the car. As a result, the memorial was repaired and re-built. Further repairs were undertaken in 1972 at which point it was discovered that the soldier’s bayonet was missing. The bayonet was found in 2002 but had to be replaced in 2007 after it was stolen.

The memorial was originally located about 20ft further east at the junction of Brideoak Street and Hudderfield Road, but was relocated to its current position in 1976.

George Harvard Thomas (1893-1933) was born in Italy and was the son of the sculptor James Harvard Thomas. At the start of his career, he worked for his father as well as studying under him at the Slade School of Art, before being made Assistant Lecturer at the school in 1920. In addition, he exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and his work included statues, statuettes and portraits. Thomas served in the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross. He worked on a number of war memorials, including those at Milnrow, Rochdale and Abertillery, Wales (both Grade II-listed). His figure for the Milnrow War Memorial was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1925.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions

MATERIALS: sandstone, bronze statue

DESCRIPTION: Waterhead War Memorial is located within an area of hard landscaping at the junction of where Brideoak Street and Heywood Street meet Huddersfield Road.

It takes the form of a bronze statue of a solder advancing at the moment of victory, with a bayonet in his right hand and holding his helmet aloft in his left. The rest of the memorial is of sandstone with the soldier standing on a tiered pedestal which surmounts a tall, four-sided plinth. The plinth has a square cap with a moulded cornice beneath and it terminates in a moulded foot. This is set upon a square, block base, which in turn surmounts a narrow, square platform. All lettering is incised.

The north-west face of the plinth carries the principal inscription, which reads, TO/ THE MEN OF/ WATERHEAD/ WHO FOUGHT/ AND FELL/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919. A further inscription is to the south-east face and reads, ERECTED/ BY PUBLIC/ SUBSCRIPTION/ UNVEILED BY/ ELISHA BARDSLEY J.P./ APRIL 17TH 1920.

The north-east face carries the Second World War dedication, which reads IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN AND WOMEN/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO FELL DURING THE/ 1939-1945/ WAR./ “AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN,/ AND IN THE MORNING/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.”

The north-east face of the base records the four names of the members of the War Memorial Committee.

Sources

Books and journals
Wyke, T, Cocks, H, Public Sculpture of Greater Manchester, (2004), pp 297-298, 462

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 30 January 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2132
Holy Trinity Church, Waterhead, Oldham, accessed 30 January 2018 from http://holytrinitywaterhead.co.uk/history/the-war-memorial/
'Waterhead War Memorial', Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, accessed 30 January 2018 from http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/pmsa-database/4644/
'George Harvard Thomas', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, accessed 30 January 2018 from http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib4_1253542622

Other
'War Memorial Crash', Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, (21 June 1930), p14

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