Exhibition marks 100 years of Birkenhead's Cenotaph

Did you know that this year marks the centenary of Birkenhead’s Cenotaph?

As veterans, residents and officials gather at the memorial in Hamilton Square this weekend for Remembrance Sunday, they might also consider finding out more about its history at a special exhibition that has been put on display at Wirral Archives.

The Cenotaph was unveiled on July 5th 1925 following a public subscription campaign to commemorate local heroes who lost their lives in World War I – the Great War. It has since had added the names of those lost in the Second World War too.

To mark 100 years of the Cenotaph being the focal point of civic remembrance, Wirral Archives is displaying an exhibition featuring photos from the unveiling ceremony, alongside items from the First World War and the Book of Remembrance from the Second World War.

The display is open to the public from Monday to Friday, 10am to 4.30pm, at Wirral Archives, situated in the lower ground floor of the Cheshire Lines building, Canning Street, Birkenhead. It is accessed from the corner of the car park of the building off Shore Road, Birkenhead.

The cenotaph was constructed in Portland stone with carved figures and panels in Westmorland stone. It was designed by Lionel Budden, and the sculptor was H. Tyson Smith. It was unveiled by Lieutenant-General Sir Richard H. K. Butler. 

The memorial is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.