Memorial details

Memorial type
Cenotaph
District
Wigan
Town
Atherton
County
Greater Manchester
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945), Mau Mau Uprising (1952-1960), Northern Ireland Conflict; The Troubles (1969-1998), Iraq War (2003-2011)
Maker
MR HOPE (Designer)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: November 1949
    Attended by: UNKNOWN
  • Undefined
    Date: 21/1/1922
    Attended by: Rev W H Bass, Vicar of Howebridge, plus other clergy and local dignitaries
  • Undefined
    Date: 21/1/1922
    Attended by: W Roylance, blind ex-soldier, plus local clergy and dignitaries
  • Unveiled
    Date: 21st January 1922
    Attended by: PTE J ROYLANCE
  • Show More (3)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
18474

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Current location

The site is opposite Atherton Cemetery
Junction of Leigh Road and Hamilton Street
Atherton
Wigan
Greater Manchester
M46 0BE
England

OS Grid Ref: SD 66850 02799
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Two step base with square plinth featuring fluted Doric pilasters at each corner and plaques mounted at centre. Stepped pediment with Palmette acroteria at corners. Pediment surmounted by an urn. There are 4 bronze upright panels with double columns of names for WW1 and 4 horizontal rectangular panels with triple columns of names for WW2. There is an Addendum plaque for WW1 names beneath the front WW1 panel, and an Addendum plaque for WW2 names to the left of the front WW2 panel. There is an additional plaque for other conflicts to the right of the front WW2 plaque. Recent additions to the site are: A curved sandstone wall at the rear with tablets carrying a central panel bearing the words 'Lest we forget', flanked by the emblems of the Royal and Merchant Navies, the Army and the Air Force, which are illuminated by uplights; two Royal British Legion sponsored steel benches, carrying silhouettes of soldiers, barbed wire, and red poppies; wickerwork representations of a soldier and a sailor; an interpretative board giving the history of the War Memorial.
Inscription
Front Panel: 1914 1919/To the memory of/ the men of the township/ of Atherton who fell/ in the Great War/ (Names) Side Panels 2, 3, 4: 1914 1919/(Names) WW2 Main Front Panel: to the memory of those who died in the War of 1939 - 1945 / (Names) Addendum Panel, left: 1939-1945/ (Names) Other Conflicts Panel, right: Malaya 1956 (Name); Northern Ireland 1973 (Name); Iraq 2006 (Name); Iraq 2007 (Name) WW2 Panels 2, 3, 4 (Names) On new rear wall: Lest we forget
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Aldred, James
Aldred, John F
Aldred, Thomas
Alldred, James
Anderson, Albert
Anderson, C E
Anderson, E B
Anderson, John
Anderton, James
Anderton, Robert
See details for all 435 names
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 327
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 327
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname,regiment, forenames, rank
    Order of information: surname
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 106
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 106
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname,regiment,forename, rank
    Order of information: surname
  • Mau Mau Uprising (1952-1960)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Forename, surname, rank, unit
    Order of information: As above
  • Northern Ireland Conflict; The Troubles (1969-1998)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Forename, surname, rank, unit
    Order of information: As above
  • Iraq War (2003-2011)
    Total names on memorial: 2
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 2
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Forenames, surname, rank, unit
    Order of information: As above
Components
  • Plinth
    Measurements: height C 6000MM, width C 1200MM
    Materials: Stone
  • First World War memorial
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Second World War memorial
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Urn
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone
Listing information
Condition
History
2009: The memorial has been cleaned by the Council and ground lights have been installed to illuminate the memorial.
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Wigan Council
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-18474

For queries, please contact [email protected].