Eleanor Cross Memorial - Retford, UK - World War I Memorials and Monuments on Waymarking.com

The details on the information board

THEIR NAME
LIVETH FOR EVERMORE
Retford War Memorial was unveiled by Sir Frederick Milner on the 14th September 1921, designed by architect Leonard W. Barnard F.R.I.B.A. and executed in Stancliffe stone, by R.L. Boulton & Sons, the memorial is in the form of an Eleanor Cross, an octagonal structure of late Gothic design, it embodies the idea of a Roman milestone showing the distance in miles of some of the more important places where the two local regiments, the Sherwood Foresters and the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, were in action in the 1914 - 1918 First World War. On the eight lower panels are the names of the men who gave their lives in that war.

In 1951 bronze plaques were added to the memorial giving the names of persons who dies in the 1939-1945 War. These plaques were unveiled and dedicated on the 6th May 1951. The entire cost of these plaques was met by the Retford and National Savings Committee.

The new Korean plaque was donated by Retford Memorials, who were responsible for the memorial's restoration, which was made possible through public donations and funding. Patrick Mercer O.B.E. MP re-dedicated the war memorial on the 17thAugust 2008.

The inscriptions on the memorial are as follows.

STAGE ONE: 6 O'CLOCK FACE:

ERECTED
BY
PUBLIC
SUBSCRIPTION
IN MEMORY
OF
THE MEN OF
RETFORD
AND
DISTRICT
WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES
DURING THE
GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918

12 O'CLOCK FACE: (a quote by Rudyard Kipling)

THEY
WILLINGLY
LEFT THE
UNACHIEVED
PURPOSE OF
THEIR LIVES
IN ORDER
THAT ALL
LIFE SHOULD
NOT BE
WRENCHED
FROM ITS
PURPOSE
                                                                 R.K.

3 O'CLOCK FACE:

BELLENGLISE
STATUE MILES
297
GOMMECOURT
270
HOOGE
240
LENS
258
LE VERGUIER
295
RANICOURT
198
REGINCOURT
301
YPRES
237

9 O'CLOCK FACE:

GALLIPOLI
(S. END OF
PENINSULA)
STATUE MILES
1552
STRUMA VALLEY
(N. END OF
LAKE TACHINOS)
1414
BEERSHEBA
2346
BIER EL TAHTR
(BERT UR ET TAHTA)
2312
JERUSALEM
2329
ES SALT
2342
HAIFA
2276
ALEPPO
2173

STAGE THREE: 12 O'CLOCK FACE:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN PROUD REMEMBRANCE
OF THE MEN AND WOMEN
FROM THIS BOROUGH
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
FOR FREEDOM IN THE WORLD WAR
1939 - 1945

Stage Four: 9 O'clock face:

KOREA
1950-1952

Date the Monument or Memorial was built or dedicated: 09/14/1921 Private or Public Monument?: Other Name of the Private Organization or Government Entity that built this Monument: Private subscription now managed by Bassetlaw District Council Geographic Region where the Monument is located: Europe Website for this Monument: [Web Link] Physical Address of Monument: Market Place East Retford, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom Rate this waymark: Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes

Visit Instructions:
New logs to this waymark must contain at least one photo of the monument with your GPS in the shot as proof of your visit. No old vacation photos please. You must have taken a picture while seeking this waymark. Logs that don't meet the photo requirement will be archived.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.