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Sheffield War Memorial


Guest TheBotanical

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Guest TheBotanical

I am currently undertaking research for a presentation about the War memorial in Barkers Pool. Could anybody help me with more information on it? The things that I am wondering are why was there a memorial built in Barkers Pool and then also one built in Weston Park? Is the memorial used only once a year or is it used on other occassions as well?

Who pays for the upkeep of the memorial now, is it the council? Also, apart from the young lad who decided to relieve himself on it a few years back, has there been any other controversies surrounding the memorial?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

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The memorial in Barker's Pool is to all the Sheffield war dead, originally of WW1. The one in Weston Park is specifically to the men of the Yorks and Lancs who fell in WW1. I'm not sure why it was sited in Weston Park, but the 12th battalion (Sheffield Pals) was originally raised on the suggestion of the University, and many of its members were students there.

The City Hall was in fact built as a WW1 war memorial for the city. In the end only the small hall at the rear was designated the Memorial Hall.

The memorial in Barker's Pool was the result of a design competition instituted in 1924, and it was unveiled in October 1925. It consists of a 90ft mast on an octagonal bronze base 18ft high. Around it are four figures of soldiers, almost life-size, with heads bowed and rifles reversed. Ironically the mast wasn't made in Sheffield but by a shipbuilders in Hull.

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Guest TheBotanical

Thankyou Bayleaf. Does anybody else have anymore information? I'll be going to the Sheffield archives this week to dig up anything else I can find.

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It having been decided to build the hall as a memorial, the building was held up by the economic crisis at the time, and eventually only the rear hall was called a memorial hall. I read some years ago that this and the delay engendered a great deal of ill-feeling among the public, and a stonemason working on the facade before completion reported having stones thrown at him by members of the public.

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Guest TheBotanical

Is this information available in the Sheffield Archives Bayleaf? I'll be taking a trip there next week. I'm also looking at whether the Memorial was just crushing melancholia to the Sheefield people. There's a lot more debate than I had anticipated, very interesting stuff though!

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The information inmy first post was taken from the new edition of Pevsner. The anecdotal material in the second post I can't remember the source of, something I heard or read many years ago. Sorry.

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