Stalybridge War Memorial

Plans for the memorial were initiated in 1919 following the end of the First World War. A public appeal raised £6,000—well above the estimated cost of £4,200—with surplus funds allocated to the education of children of fallen servicemen. The memorial was designed and sculpted by Ferdinand Blundstone, a noted sculptor and native of nearby Whaley Bridge, who exhibited at the Royal Academy and worked internationally. Construction was carried out by Messrs William Kirkpatrick Ltd of Trafford Park. Initially it bore the names of 628 men who died in the First World War, later rising to 665 with additions. A Second World War extension, bearing the names of 127 men, was unveiled on 23 April 1950,…