Chertsey War Memorial by Joseph Whitehead & Sons. 1921. The Grade II listed memorial was given its listing because it bore "eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20," as well as for its artistic merit as an "elegant and evocative bronze sculpture of a serviceman." [Click on the images for larger pictures.]
Described as Whitehead's "last significant public sculpture" (PSSA), the memorial stands outside St Peter's Church on Windsor Street. It was cast locally, at A. B. Burton's foundry in Thames Ditton, Surrey, and there are casts of it at several other locations. One in the Square Mile was destroyed by fire, but there are others in Worthing, Stafford, Truro, Ebbw Vale, and also one abroad, in Queens County, Liverpool, Nova Scotia (see PSSA). It is not so much a celebration of victory as of safe homecoming, and in that sense suited the mood of jubilation at the end of World War I, but must have seemed poignant for those whose menfolk never returned (the Whiteheads lost their own son Eric during the final stages of the war).
Photographs, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use the images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Links to Related Material
Bibliography
Chertsey War Memorial. Historic England. Web. 9 November 2023.
Public Sculpture of Britain biographies - W. PSSA (Public Statues and Sculpture Association). Web. 9 November 2023.
Created 9 November 2023