Opening of St Albans War Memorial, 1921.

Social History (Museum of St Albans)

2006.5628

Monochrome photographic print on paper, 103 x 79 mm. Crowds gathered for the opening of the St Albans war memorial on St Peter's Street. A memorial garden was placed around the cross in 1921. The memorial itself was unveiled by General the Earl of Cavan 22nd May 1921 and the dedication was by the Bishop of St Albans. The architect of the memorial was Sir Edgar Wigram and the stone mason Charles Alderton. Sir Edgar Thomas Ainger Wigram bart. (1864-1935) was mayor of St Albans in 1926. With the war fresh in everyone's memory there was a huge response to the event. It is said that every family in the land lost someone close in the First World War. There are 640 people commemorated on the memorial. At least two St Albans families lost three sons and thirty-five families lost two.

1921

PX9124warMemorial.tif

CD 857

Amy Cooke

3) MoStA Archive Room

War Memorial, St Peter's Green, St Peter's Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK.

Photograph box 33.

20/12/2007