Memorial details

Memorial type
Cenotaph
District
Wakefield
Town
Wakefield
County
West Yorkshire
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 09 August 1921
    Attended by: County Alderman P.H. Booth performed the unveiling
  • Dedicated
    Date: 09 August 1921
    Attended by: Canon McLeod performed the dedication at a special service in Wakefield Cathedral
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
29196

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Current location

On a paved area by the main entrance on Laburnum Road.
West Yorkshire Police HQ
Laburnum Road
Wakefield
Wakefield
West Yorkshire
WF1 3QS
England

OS Grid Ref: SE 32989 21140
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Large elegant four-sided stone cenotaph on a single step, with protruding scroll supports at each corner. A bronze Yorkshire rose is fixed to the top of the south face inscription, and a bronze cross and laurel-wreath at the top of the other three faces, on which the names of the Fallen are broadly recorded in order of their date of death (face 1 being topped with the name G.H. Thompson, followed by face 2 topped by the name S. Hart, followed by face 3 being topped by the name C.W. Burrows). The inscriptions on all sides are in incised black lettering. The cenotaph stands on a paved area within a small garden, beside the front main entrance of the West Yorkshire Police Headquarters building.
Inscription
(South face): ERECTED/ BY THEIR COMRADES/ IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THE/ WEST RIDING/ CONSTABULARY/ WHO FELL IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1919/ AT THE GOING DOWN/ OF THE SUN, AND IN/ THE MORNING WE/ WILL REMEMBER THEM (Other three faces): (NAMES)
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Atkinson, B F
Atkinson, C
Bailey, T
Bamforth, J W
Banks, G
Barker, H R
Batley, C
Bellwood, G W
Berry, H
Booth, E H
See details for all 61 names
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 61
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 61
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Initials and surname
    Order of information: Listed chronologically by date of death
Components
  • Cenotaph
    Measurements: depth c900mm, height c2440mm, width c1200mm
    Materials: Stone - Portland
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Corporate
Responsibility
West Yorkshire Police
Reference
  • Sheffield Independent 10/8/1921 (page 5) reported the unveiling at length, mentioning that of the 1469 members of the Force, 479 had volunteered for war service, of whom 61 had died.
  • warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/258934/

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-29196

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