100 years of Dukinfield war memorial commemorated

Dukinfield councillors laid ten red roses to remember the centenary of Dukinfield’s war memorial.

Set in the beautiful surroundings of Dukinfield Crematorium and Cemetery, the Italian marble sculpture was originally installed in 1920 to commemorate those from the area who had died in World War One.

It was moved up the hill from its original location in 2012 to make it more accessible to those with disabilities and to bring it further into the cemetery grounds.

The memorial was funded mainly by families living on Park Road who had lost loved ones.

Dukinfield councillor John Taylor explained: “We did have it moved a few years ago. There was no access to it and anyone who was disabled couldn’t see it, so we got permission to move it and we moved it further up onto the road in the cemetery.

“Thousands of people have seen it now and it was exactly 100 years old on September 11.

“We’ve put ten red roses down, one for each decade, just to commemorate it and to remember those, not just who are on the memorial, but those who made this memorial happen.

“It’s got quite a lot of history on it and I actually know some of the relatives of the families who are on there, I know them personally.

“Every year I come up here on November 11 with the local scouts and guides for a remembrance service. If you go back 20 or 30 years there might’ve been 20 or 30 of us, but if you come back now there’s hundreds.”

The Tame Valley War Memorial was originally unveiled by Captain George Heathcote on September 11, 1920, after being constructed at a cost of nearly £500.

Before the opening ceremony, a procession was led by the band of 1/9 Battalion, Manchester Regiment and St Mark’s Drum and Flute Band, followed by the Dukinfield branch of Comrades of the Great War.

In a speech a 100 years ago, Cllr Bagot said the memorial would stand high, and to strangers and others who passed it, it would prove that the lads of the valley did their duty like men.

The statue features a cross with the figure of an angel, looking east towards the battlefields of France and Flanders, complete with a wreath of victory.

The 15ft high sculpture bears the inscription: “Erected by the residents of Park Road, Dukinfield, 1920.”

One side is in memory of the 32 men who died in the Great War, and the other three in honour of the 105 who served.