Rededication

Following restoration work, Hertford Town Council held a rededication ceremony for the war memorial on Wednesday 7 November 2001, at 10.30am.

A copy of the commemorative booklet produced to mark the rededication is available here to download. You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document. This is available free to download from Adobe, or can be found on the cover discs which accompany computer magazines.

The ceremony was preceded by the traditional Garden of Remembrance ceremony in The Wash, Hertford, where wreaths were laid by the Mayor, Lord Lieutenant Simon Bowes-Lyon, and the Chairman of East Herts District Council.

The Mayor and Council then processed to the war memorial in Parliament Square. For the ceremony, local schoolchildren had written the names of the fallen on crosses which were placed on the memorial.

The ceremony began with a rousing rendition of For All the Saints, accompanied by a combined senior schools band from Richard Hale, Simon Balle and Sele schools.

Following this Council Leader, Cllr Tracy Turner read a short address on the history of the memorial:

"Our memorial was unveiled 80 years ago yesterday, on Sunday 6 November 1921, and is rededicated today after its extensive clean and repair, made possible through the grant of £5000 from English Heritage and the Friends of War Memorials towards the total cost of just over £10,000.

The memorial stands on a site given to the town by Sir Edward and Lady Pearson, who lived at Brickendonbury, later used during World War 2 by the Special Operations Executive.

A committee named the Hertford and District War Memorial Committee was formed to consider designs and raise money for the memorial. Initially it was agreed not to include the names of the fallen on the memorial, but a vociferous debate waged in the pages of the Hertfordshire Mercury. The decision was reversed in July 1921, and the names included as you see on memorial tablets alongside the plinth. The names of those who fell in World War 2 were added in 1948.

Today 482 individual servicemen and civilians, ranging from 4 to 60 years of age are commemorated on the memorial.

It is important to remember that the nationwide move to commemorate the dead of the First World War was both a very public outpouring of grief, and a dramatic increase in public art. The huge losses were unprecedented in their scale, and communities all over Britain raised money and erected memorials.

On Friday (9 November 2001), the Imperial War Museum unveils the National Inventory of War Memorials, a large searchable database of memorials stretching back from the 17th century right up to the modern day. Through the work of hundreds of volunteers recording memorials large and small across the country, their history and the history of those commemorated on them, will never be forgotten.

In this 80th year of our memorial, and the 80th anniversary of the Royal British Legion, it isimportant to remember. But with the restoration of the memorial we trust that it, together with its significance and meaning will endure long into the future, and into the care of the children here today."

The rededication and prayers were said by the Mayor's Chaplain, the Reverend Bill Church. This was followed by a moving rendition of 'Make Me A Channel of Your Peace' by over 120 primary school pupils from Bengeo, Mill Mead, Abel Smith and Wheatcroft schools.

A range of readings were selected by pupils from Sele and Wheatcroft schools.

Mr Cyril Austin from the Herts Regt Old Comrades Association read the Exhortation. The Last Post and Reveille were played by Richard Hale buglers, followed by the Kohima read by Mr David Poole, Chairman of the Hertford Branch of the Royal British Legion.

The rededication concluded with the hymn 'I Vow to Thee, My Country', again accompanied by the combined senior schools band.

Following the rededication a reception was held in the Corn Exchange, Hertford where a small selection of children's prose and artwork was exhibited. In the afternoon, groups of primary school pupils visited the Castle, Hertford to listen to the reminiscences of ex-servicemen. David Poole from the Royal British Legion also spoke to the children about the significance of the poppy and the poppy appeal.