Great War Roll of Honour:-

The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry Memorial:-

Shropshire’s Sacrifice in the Great War:-

St Chad’s Great War dead:-

St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury appeared in the background of one of my photographs of Shropshire War Memorial (previous post.)

The church is an impressive building. (Picture from St Chad’s page on Wikipedia.)

The interior is no less so.

Altar:-

Ceiling:-

Its main interest to me though was the variety of War Memorials it contains – too many to list here. Photographs will be forthcoming.

Figure of St Michael Archangel inside a circular topped rotunda inscribed, “In memory of the men and women of Shropshire who fell in the two World Wars 1914–18 and 1939–45.”

The statue stands on a hexagonal plinth, which is surrounded by 6 hexagonal plaques laid into the floor of the monument.

In front of the statue, the first plaque is inscribed, “Remember the gallant men and women of Shropshire who gave their lives for God, King and country 1914–18 and 1939-45.” Five other plaques show the county arms of Shropshire, a Croix de Guerre, an empty cross in front of a rising sun, the badge of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and the arms of the town of Shrewsbury.

St Chad’s Church in background:-

A brass plaque on the ground in front of the gates of the enclosure is inscribed, “This War Memorial was built in 1922-3 in honour of the men and women of Shropshire who fell in the Great War of 1914-18. The war dead of 1939-45 are also commemorated by this monument.”

Shrewsbury’s Boer War Memorial is fairly typical of the type showing a pith-helmeted soldier with rifle:-

Dedication. “To the memory of the officers, non-commisioned officers & men of the line, militia and volunteer battalions of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry who were killed in action & died of wounds or disease while serving with the 2nd battalion of the King’s Shropshire LI (35th LI) in the Transvaal, Orange River Colony & Cape Colony during the campaign in South Africa.”

From west:-

From east:-

Names:-

The game at Oswestry not being till the evening we took ourselves off to Shrewsbury on the Saturday afternoon. (I’ve already mentioned Shrewsbury Abbey in a 4/11/2018 post about Wilfred Owen’s Memorial in the Abbey Grounds.)

Since we didn’t know the town we stopped at the first Park and Ride and availed ourselves of the service. That was just as well because the traffic was very busy and the streets quite narrow.

We also asked someone if the pronunciation was “Shrew”- or “Shrow”- sbury and were told it didn’t matter, either would do.

The town’s history is clearly evident in its buildings, with several in the timber-framed Tudor style:-

After the Second World War the military camp at Oswestry became a centre for Canadian troops, then the Royal Artillery and finally a training centre for Infantry Junior Leaders.

Also in the Oswestry War Memorial garden area is a Memorial to these Junior Leaders. Deus Vult translates as God wills.

Dedication plaque:-

Plaque to Junior Leaders who died on active service:-

Junior Leaders Association appreciation for Oswestry:-

During the Great War Oswestry was the site of an army training camp and military hospital. In World War 2 this was again brought into use this time as a Royal Artillery Training and Plotting Officers’ School.

Behind the gates of Oswestry’s main War Memorial is a gardened area wherein lie other memorials.

Royal Regiment of Artillery Memorial:-

Near side of Royal Regiment of Artillery Memorial:-

Latin tag. “Ubique quo fas et gloria decunt.” “Everywhere where right and glory lead.”:-

Memorial Field Gun:-

Memorial Field Gun dedication:-

I hadn’t looked this up reasoning that Oswestry is a big enough town to have a prominent War Memorial and I’d find it quite easily.

Still we’d been wandering the town for an hour or so on the Saturday morning (having travelled down on the Friday and staying overnight so as not to risk missing the kick-off) and still hadn’t seen it. So I asked the young woman serving me at WH Smith’s till, “Where is Oswestry’s War Memorial?” Despite seeming to be a local she didn’t know.

Anyway I strolled on down the main street for about a hundred or so yards – and there it was.

A set of gates flanked by pillars, inscribed respectively “1914. There is a life in death,” and “1919. Ye have not died in vain.”:-

1914 Pillar. Top plaque inscribed, “Erected in grateful memory of the men of Oswestry who laid down their lives in the Great War.”:-

1919 pillar. Top plaque inscribed, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”:-

The reverse of the pillars was later pressed into service as the Second World War Memorial with 1939 and 1945 on the pillars:-

1939 pillar. Inscribed, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be his God and he shall be my son.”:-

1945 pillar. Inscribed, “In grateful memory of the men and women of Oswestry who laid down their lives in the war of 1939-1945.”:-

Penrith’s main War Memorial is, I have subsequently found, in Castle Park but I was parked much nearer the town centre than there. I will look for it the next time I’m in the town.

I did however come across one Great War Memorial in the churchyard of St Andrew’s Church, inscribed, “In proud and grateful memory of the men of Penrith who gave their lives in the War 1914-1918”:-

Reverse of memorial. Inscribed, “As dying and behold we live.”

Just to the side of the memorial was this remembrance “garden.” Presumably for the 100th centenary of the end of the war:-

On the way back to the main road from Slains Castle we passed Cruden Bay War Memorial, an archway and gates, with the arch inscribed “Memory”. The name tablets are surmounted by 1914 and 1918 respectively. (I’ve since found that the World War 2 memorial is on the other side of the gates but I didn’t go through them into the kirkyard.)

Names on tablet surmounted by 1914:-

Names on tablet surmounted by 1918:-