THE BOER WAR MEMORIAL - WESTON PARK,SHEFFIELD

For many years this memorial to the men of The York and Lancaster Regiment was set in the middle of a granite stone wall between the much larger memorial to the same Regiments fallen in the two World Wars and Western Bank (A57), the main road into Sheffield from the West. It had originally been housed in Sheffield Cathedral but had been relocated to the Park in 1963. The reason for the move is unknown to me. 

The Boer War Memorial to the Fallen of  The York and Lancaster Regiment - Behind is the more prominent Memorial to those soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars - photo taken March 2009 

I must admit that the Memorial always tended to be overlooked by people walking through the Park as it was sited behind the much more prominent World War Memorial. But after years of neglect by Sheffield City Council, the Park has, for want of a better word, received  a "makeover". Part of this entailed the movement of the Memorial from behind The York and Lancaster Regiment World War Memorial to a position alongside it. But more importantly the long ten yard granite wall in which it was previously housed has disappeared. Quite why the memorial was housed in the man-made granite wall in the first place is also a mystery but the setting did nothing to enhance the actual Memorial. In fact it did the opposite to my eyes.

The Boer War Memorial to the Fallen of  The York and Lancaster Regiment

The relocation and refurbishment of the Memorial was long overdue. However the most pleasing aspect to me of this relocation is that a stone seating plinth has been placed directly in front of the Memorial which will enable passers-by to sit down and hopefully have a moment of quiet reflection on the loss of life and sacrifice that war entails.    

The basic details of the memorial are as follows and are taken from the impressive Public Art in Sheffield website

J.D.Webster & Sons (architects) - this firm of Sheffield architects also built John Dodsley Webster also built the Bainbridge Building on the corner of Norfolk and Surrey Streets.
Made by Starkey Gardiner & Co, London

Description: Commissioned by the Regiment [see note] . The panels were unveiled, 12th July 1905, on the occasion of the Royal visit of King Edward VII to Sheffield. The same visit also included the opening of what is now The University of Sheffield . The memorial is described as

"Two bronze panels depicting a soldier with head bowed stand either side of a panel listing the names of the dead".

The list of the fallen that feature on the centre panel are by unit and rank. To make it easier to check the following list of the dead is in more or less alphabetical order. It should be pointed out that although some of the men will have strong Sheffield connections, not all of them will .

 "The York and Lancaster Regiment India. Nive. Peninsula. Arabia. Lucknow. New-Zealand Egypt.. 1882. Tel-el-Kebir. Egypt. 1884. South-Africa

Remember" ....

Ainsworth J Corporal 1st Battalion
Atkinson J Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Balding W Sergt 1st Battalion
Barton W Private 1st Battalion
Beaton. A Private 1st Battalion
Belk A Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Bell G Private 2nd Volunteer Battalion
Bennett I Private 1st Battalion
Biggs W Private 1st Battalion
Bowen B Sergt 1st Battalion
Bradshaw W.E.J Captain 1st Battalion
Bramwell J Private 1st Battalion
Broughton J Private 1st Battalion
Cherrell C Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Clarke A Private 1st Volunteer Battalion
Clarke W.A.E Corporal 1st Battalion
Cook J Private 1st Battalion
Cooke R Private 1st Battalion
Cooper W Private 1st Battalion
Cowlishaw C Lance-Corporal 1st Battalion
Crane P Corporal 1st Battalion
Creaser F Private 1st Battalion
Crossland A.E Private 1st Battalion
Depledge J.H Private 2nd Volunteer Battalion
Emery D Private 3rd Battalion
Emery G Private 1st Battalion
Farmer W Private 1st Battalion
Ferguson A Private 1st Battalion
Fields C Private 1st Battalion
W.Foster J.W Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Good D Sergt 1st Battalion
Goodall S Private 1st Battalion
Goodwin J Private 1st Battalion
Gozzard A Sergt 1st Battalion
Green G.A Sergt 1st Battalion
Gribben J Private 1st Battalion
Hall H Private 1st Battalion
Harthey F Private 1st Battalion
Hatchell I Private 1st Battalion
Heathcote A Private 1st Battalion
Henderson G.F Lieut. Colonel (C.B.)
Hogg W.F Lance-Sergeant 1st Battalion
Ibbotson H Private 1st Battalion
Jackson W Private 1st Battalion
Jay S Private 1st Battalion
Jordan P Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Kelly J Private 1st Battalion
Kenningly T Corporal 1st Battalion
Kent E Private 1st Battalion
Knowles W Private 3rd Battalion
Lambert J Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Larkman A Private 1st Battalion
Law G Private 2nd Volunteer Battalion
Leak J Private 1st Battalion
Lee A Private 1st Battalion
Liversedge J Private 1st Battalion
Lloyd J Private 1st Battalion
Lowe J Private 1st Battalion
Ludden J Private 1st Battalion
McCusker H Private 1st Battalion
Malin J Private 1st Battalion
Marshall A Private 1st Battalion
Mayfield T Private 1st Battalion
Meakin T Private 1st Battalion
Midgley G Private 1st Volunteer Battalion
Millan W Private 1st Battalion
Mullens J Private 1st Battalion
Neal G Private 1st Battalion
Noonan D Corporal 1st Battalion
O'Callaghan W.M Private 1st Battalion
Parkinson T Lance-Corporal 1st Battalion
Peake W Private 1st Battalion
Pedrazzolli F Private 1st Battalion
Philpot A Private 1st Battalion
Poole J Private 1st Battalion
Potter W Private 1st Battalion
Randall H Private 1st Battalion
Reid JH Private 1st Battalion
Roberts A Private 1st Battalion
Rushton T Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Seare J Lance-Corporal 1st Battalion
Seaton G Drummer 3rd Battalion
Shepherd B Private 1st Battalion
Short C Private 1st Battalion
Simcock J Private 1st Battalion
Sinfield R Sergt 1st Battalion
Smith D Private 1st Battalion
Smith J Private 1st Battalion
Smith J Lance-Corporal 1st Battalion
Smith T.A Drummer 1st Battalion
Strachan S Private 1st Battalion
Stubbs S Private 1st Battalion
Sutton J Drummer 1st Battalion
Swift W Lance-Corporal 1st Battalion
Tabor JT Private 2nd Volunteer Battalion
Thornley J Corporal 1st Battalion
Thornton G Lance-Corporal 1st Volunteer Battalion
Tools J Private 1st Battalion
Waite J Private 1st Battalion
Ward W.S Drummer 3rd Battalion
Warden W Private 1st Battalion
Williams J Private 1st Battalion
Wilson JG Colonel Commanding 3rd Battalion.(C.B.)
Wood B Private 3rd Battalion (Mil.Reserve)
Young T Private 1st Battalion

"...Who gave their lives for their country during the South African campaign 1899-1902

To the memory of the officers and men who gave their lives for their country in the South African War 1899-1902 of all Battalions of the York and Lancaster Regiment This memorial was erected by their comrades."
[CB = Companion of the Order of the Bath]
 

Sources

Public Art in Sheffield website

[2] 'For Remembrance. South Africa 1899-1902' Col Sir J Gildea;Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1911.
 

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This page was last updated on 28/07/09 13:25