Widnes Warth

Widnes Borough Council commissioned a memorial in 1920 to commemorate the citizens of the town who fell in the First World War. Following a competition the design of Harold E. Davies was selected, and Herbert Tyson Smith was appointed as the sculptor. The building contractors were Messrs. Stewart Jones of Liverpool. The foundation stone was laid on 28 August 1920, and the memorial was unveiled on 28 September 1921. This ceremony included a procession from the Town Hall led by the mayor and the 17th Earl of Derby. The memorial was paid for by public subscription which raised £7,830, against a target of £10,000. However the memorial cost only £6,000, and the remainder was used as a social…

The memorial consists of an obelisk in Portland stone standing on a stepped plinth in York stone. The obelisk is about 12.8 m high on a plinth about 2.1 m in height. Around the plinth are 30 bronze tablets inscribed with the names of the 818 men who died in the First World War. On the base of the obelisk is the coat of arms of Widnes. At the top of the obelisk is a flaming urn to symbolise immortality. In a panel on the front (south) side of the plinth is an inscription reading as follows. On the same face, above the smaller plaques, is an inscription reading as follows. On the front of the base of the obelisk is an inscription reading: On the left (west) side the inscription reads: On the…