Nicholson War Memorial - Leek, UK - World War I Memorials and Monuments on Waymarking.com

There is a bronze plaque at the base of the tower.

ERECTED BY

SIR ARTHUR AND LADY NICHOLSON
TO THE PERPETUAL HONOuR
AND CHERISHED MEMORY
OF THEIR SON
LIEUT BASIL LEE NICHOLSON
ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY
WHO FELL IN ACTION NEAR YPRES BELGIUM
ON JULY 24TH 1915
AND TO
ALL THE GALLANT SONS OF LEEK
AND OF THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBOURHOOD
WHOSE LIVES WERE SO BRAVELY SACRIFICED
IN FIGHTING FOR THEIR COUNTRY DURING
THE GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918
ALL HONOUR GIVE
TO THOSE NOBLY FIGHTING NOBLY FELL
THAT WE MIGHT LIVE

A further dedication was added after the second world war.

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE MEN

OF LEEK WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES

FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE

WORLD WAR

1939 - 1945

There are also bronze plaques listing names of the dead including additions of some names that came to light at a later date.

A nearby information board has information about the history of the memorial.

The Facts

• 90 feet or 27m high
• Constructed from Portland stone (exterior), and red brick (interior).
• Designed by Thomas Worthington & Sons of Manchester.
• Built by E.A. Frith of Macclesfield with additional works by Mr Thomas Grace of Leek.
• The four clock faces are 2.06m in diameter and the five bells weigh 1.2 metric tonnes.
• Cost £16,000 or approximately £670,000 in 2011.
• Stands on the site formerly known as Sparrow Park. The area was also used as a cattle market and for community entertainments.
• Commemorates 535 men and women of Leek who died during the First and Second World Wars.

In Loving Memory

Sir Arthur Nicholson, a major silk manufacturer in Leek, and Lady Marianne Nicholson commissioned and paid for this memorial in memory of their son, Basil, and all the sons of Leek who died in the First World War.

Lieutenant Basil Lee Nicholson was an officer in the Old Leek Battery, a mounted territorial unit of the Royal Field Artillery. He was shot and killed by a sniper just off the Menin Road at Ypres, Belgium in 1915, and is buried in Dranoutre Churchyard; he was just 24 years old.

The names of the battles that the Leek Battery fought in are recorded around the top of the building; Somme and Ypres will be familiar names but the others were also the scenes of vicious fighting between 1914 and 1918.

The majority of the Fallen commemorated here from both World Wars fought and died with infantry regiments, notably the North Staffords and the Royal Fusiliers. A number were lost serving with the Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force.

Cherished and Prized for all time

In 2011 Leek Town Council sought and received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the building. The Council continues to maintain and preserve the Nicholson War Memorial as they were charged to do by Sir Arthur Nicholson when he formally handed it over on the 20th August 1925. This dedication ceremony was attended by many thousands of Leek people and presided over by Basil's elder brother Lt Colonel Falkner Nicholson.

Further information can be found at www.nicholsonmemorial.org.uk

You can download our self-guide leaflet, audio-tour or find the date of the next guided tour or Remembrance Service.

To learn more about Leek's history you can visit the local history archives at the Nicholson Institute, located between the museum and art gallery.

Date the Monument or Memorial was built or dedicated: 08/20/1925 Private or Public Monument?: Government Name of the Private Organization or Government Entity that built this Monument: Leek Town Council Geographic Region where the Monument is located: Europe Website for this Monument: [Web Link] Physical Address of Monument: Ashbourne Road Main Road Intersection Leek, Staffordshire United Kingdom ST13 6JP Rate this waymark: Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/08/2020 Gushoneybun visited it