War Memorial

In the years prior to the First World War the city of Lichfield housed the depot for the four reserve battalions of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the North Staffordshire Regiment. During the course of the war each regiment raised a further three New Army battalions in the city; these went on to serve in France and Italy. The South Staffordshire Regiment also raised a garrison battalion in the city for service in India. After the war, a War Memorial Committee chaired by Major Longstaff was established in Lichfield to commemorate the city's men who had lost their lives in the war.

The Lichfield War Memorial lies within the Garden of Remembrance, to the north-west of Minster Pool and south-west of Lichfield Cathedral. The site has high brick walls to the north and east edges, a balustrade with gate onto Bird Street to the west and more balustrade on the boundary with Minster Pool to the south. There are two pairs of decorative urns atop the balustrade on the south and west boundaries. The wrought-iron gate bears the lettering "PAX1919" referring to the 1919 Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War (though fighting ended with the armistice of 11 November 1918). Two panelled piers at either end of the memorial are topped with balls and foliage. The 209 names…