Sheffield War Memorial

There was much debate about the appropriate location and format for a war memorial in Sheffield after the First World War. A committee considered fourteen serious suggestions, including an obelisk at the junction of Bow Street and Church Street. Eventually a decision was made for a memorial to be constructed in Barker's Pool, with the demolition of shops to the north of Barker's Pool to create a suitable location. A design competition was opened to architects working in Sheffield, which was won by Charles Denny Carus-Wilson, then head of the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield. He had served with the Middlesex Yeomanry and was awarded the Military Cross; the memorial was…

The memorial is made up of a cenotaph with a 25 m high flagpole. The central flagpole is a ship's mast, made of mild steel by Earle's Shipbuilding of Hull. It is painted white, and topped by a gilded ball and crown. The pole is supported by a 5.3 m bronze base by sculptor George Alexander, cast by the Parlanti foundry. It includes four statues of soldiers, standing with heads bowed and rifles reversed, above an octagonal section. The base also shows four emblems – the British Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the coat of arms of the city of Sheffield – facing the cardinal directions, and also the badges of the eight army units: the Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons, the Royal…