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Lenton War Memorial - Sherwin Road & Church Street

A freestanding memorial erected by public subscription in 1919; the memorial is adjacent to the Albert Ball Memorial Homes. The dedication reads: 'To the glorious and undying memory of the men of Lenton whose names are hereto affixed who laid down their lives for their country's honour and freedom in the Great War 1914-1918. This memorial was erected by the inhabitants of Lenton, 1919.' The names are listed by rank, and give unit (initials) and initials although in some cases first name/s have been used. The names include that of Dorothea Cewdson MM ARRC, who was with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) and died in France on 12 March 1919. The memorial was unveiled on 29 May 1920 - Nottingham Evening Post, Saturday 29 May 1920: ‘Lenton War Memorial. Unveiling Spoilt by the Storm. It would have been impossible to imagine more unpropitious conditions for a public ceremonial than those which attended the unveiling of the Lenton War Memorial this afternoon. At the time fixed for the beginning of the function a terrific thunderstorm burst over the assembled crowed, making it impossible for the proceedings to start without some delay. The memorial, a description of which has already been published, takes the form of a column of Aberdeen granite, surmounted by a bronze cross, and bearing bronze panels on which appear the names of three hundred Lenton men who had laid down their lives. The unveiling was performed by Major-General the Hon. E Montague Stuart-Wortley, who commanded the North-Midland Division. There was a large company present including the Deputy-Mayor (Ald. W Pendleton), the Sheriff (Counciller H Offiler), Sir John Turney, Ald. Huntsman, Mr AR Atkey MP, Ald. A Ball (chairman of the memorial committee), Mr JD Player, Mr WA Appleton, and many others. Prayers were offered by clergy and ministers, school children sang ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, the band of the Robin Hoods played the National Anthem, and the Last Post was sounded. A pathetic sight was the laying of floral tributes on the steps of the monument by relatives of the fallen men’ (www. britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) The memorial was renovated in 2009 and rededicated in the November (article Nottingham Evening Post, 6 November 2009). A number of street shrines were erected in Lenton during the war. A report in the Nottingham Post, 6 November 1916, records that the Duke of Portland together with the Mayor of Nottingham and Lord Henry Bentinck MP, unveiled six street memorials in Lenton. A photograph accompanying the report showed a general view of a shrine on Willoughby Street.

Identified casualties 287 people
Names on this memorial
Photographs