The War Poetry Website
Oldham WWI War Memorial
The Oldham War Memorial is outside St Mary’s Church, Church Street, in the town of Oldham in Greater Manchester ( Historically part of Lancashire) opposite the Town Hall.
It is unusual in that it depicts a group of soldiers in the trenches going over the top. Mounted on a square pedestal with panelled doors leading to the books of remembrance.
The memorial was unveiled by General Sir Ian Hamilton and dedicated by the Bishop of Manchester 28th April 1923.
The sculptor was Albert Toft (1869 – 1949) (See Thorton-Clevleys and Chatterton War Memorials) took four years to complete the sculpture.
The memorial is a tribute to all the men from Oldham who lost their lives in WW1. Commissioned in 1919 by the Oldham War Memorial Committee who wanted a fitting tribute to all those who died fighting the war to end all wars.
The stone base was created from Granite with the centrepiece and the doors beneath being created from bronze.
In 2013 the memorial underwent extensive restoration.
