Memorial History

Towards the end of the First World War the inhabitants of Patterdale collected money in order to establish a permanent Monument as a Memorial to the Officers and Men who fell in the Great War.

William Hibbert Marshall, owner of Patterdale Hall, donated a piece of land (adjacent to the A592 opposite the Boat Cafe) to allow for the building of a permanent Monument in February 1921.

The memorial slab was hewn from a twenty ton piece of local slate and the eventual undressed slate stone still weighs in at around 5 tons. It was created by a Mr Pattinson of Glenridding and was carved on site.

It was unveiled on 20th October 1921. As reported in the Westmorland Gazette on the 21st

There is a large open space around the memorial, approached by steps from the road, and on the fellside above the wire fence it is intended to plant suitable flowers. Saturday was an ideal day for the ceremony. The first part of the proceedings took place at the church...The service was conducted by the Rev WP Morris, C.F., Senior Chaplain to the 43rd Division (East Lancashire), and Mr M Place*, as representing the Wesleyans of the dale read the Lesson…Colonel Weston stepped forward, withdrew the Union Jack, and saluted the memorial. The Rector dedicated it and read the inscription, and Colonel Weston afterwards addressed the large company. He said – War was always a terrible thing, and he prayed and hoped that never in their time would there be another, but even amid the horrors of war there was a bright side, and that was the magnificent heroism and sacrifice that their gallant young fellows made…Corporal Wannop, Border Regiment, went on to the hillside above the memorial and sounded the Last Post and the Reveille.

Memorial Cottage Patterdale War Memorial Photo © Rob Shephard

The memorial shortly after it was first erected

* Matthew Place was the half-brother of John Dewis Place, who died in the war and whose name is inscribed on the memorial. He was Chairman of the local Parish Council in the early 1920s

At the end of the Second World War tragically eight more names were added to the Memorial. See the stories of the Fallen from World War Two.

Bench in memory of Oliver Readshaw - Durham Light Infantry

As part of the renovation to the Parish War Memorial to repair damage caused by Storm Desmond in Glenridding we agreed to dedicate a new bench by the War Memorial to the memory of Oliver Readshaw, so that he is remembered in his rightful place close to his brother George. The new bench with the engraved plaque as seen below was installed in May 2017. A second bench was also installed and a general clear up of the area around the war memorial was undertaken.

“John”

As part of the centenary commemoration for the end of World War One in 2018 Patterdale Parish Council commissioned a sculpture to be placed on the site of the War Memorial. “John”, named after the two soldiers from the First Wolrld War for whom no photos have been found, Driver John Slee and Privater John Wilkinson, it was created by local firm Metal Star and installed in September 2018 by Parish Lengthsman Carl Scrivens.