Memorial details

Memorial type
Serviceman / Servicewoman
District
Wigan
Town
Wigan
County
Greater Manchester
Country
England
Commemoration
Boer War; Second (1899-1902)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 4 February 1903
    Attended by: Sir Francis Sharp Powell MP
Lost
Lost
WM Reference
18517

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Current location
View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • In front of the Pavilion
    Mesnes Park
    Parson's Walk
    Wigan
    Wigan
    Greater Manchester
    WN1 1TU
    England

    OS Grid Ref: SD 57916 06396
    Denomination: Undefined
Description
Inscribed granite plinth, originally surmounted by a highly detailed statue in Carrara marble of an officer in Boer War campaign uniform and slouch hat holding a bronze banner and pistol. The statue was removed in 1968 following damage resulting from pollution and vandalism, leaving only the plinth still in place. A replacement statue (recorded on this database as memorial number 78731) was erected on the plinth in 2013 by the Friends of Wigan's Boer War Memorial, with the support of the public and grants from various bodies.
Inscription
THIS MEMORIAL / WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION / TO THE MEMORY OF / THE MEN BELONGING TO THE REGULAR / VOLUNTEER AND IMPERIAL YEOMANRY FORCES / OF WIGAN AND DISTRICT / WHO FELL IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR / 1899-1902
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Boer War; Second (1899-1902)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plinth
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
  • Figure
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone
Condition
History
1968: The sword, flag and revolver attached to the statue had been repeatedly stolen, and the statue was showing signs of decay caused by pollution and weathering. As a result, the statue was removed by the council, leaving only the plinth in place. 2008: Volunteers try to find the original statue, thought to have been dumped in the Mesnes Park compost heap, but fail. 2009: Planning application submitted for the restoration of Mesnes Park: part of the proposed work includes the moving of the plinth to the Parson's Walk entrance. Local groups and residents oppose this move. 2010: Fundraising efforts ongoing to provide a replacement statue. 2013: Replacement statue erected.
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Public
Details: Public subscription organised by Councillor Fryans.
Responsibility
Wigan District Council
Reference
  • "Past Forward" newsletter by Wigan Heritage Service, Issue 26, page 13: Article by J. A. Hilton "The strange case of the vanishing statue"£
  • The Manchester Genealogist (The Journal of the Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society) Volume 36 No. 2, 2000, pages 93-111 for a long, detailed article on the Manchester Regiment in the Boer war which names all who served)
  • Carter Postcard Collection
  • "The Empty Plinth: Wigan's Missing Boer War Memorial" by Hilton, J. A. 2003 Published:Prodesse Publications 2003 Wigan

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.

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© WMR-18517

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