Hednesford War Memorial 'rededicated next year' after refurbishment work

Hednesford War Memorial, off the A460 in Hednesford, will be rededicated on July 7 2018 after it underwent improvement work alongside Hednesford Park.

Both the park and the memorial have undergone 'extensive refurbishment' after money was secured through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Work at the memorial has included the restoration of the pillars leading up to the monument, the resurfacing of paths, the restoration of fencing and gates, the replacement of the concrete slab step to the memorial and the removal and restoration of the historic landscaping to and around the memorial.

Tony McGovern, the managing director of Cannock Chase Council, said the war memorial preservation society, who worked alongside the council on the work, is 'really pleased' with the outcome.

He said: “Following the refurbishment of Hednesford Park and the War Memorial, the Hednesford War Memorial Preservation Society are really pleased with the result.

"The War Memorial has undergone extensive research and refurbishment as part the Heritage Lottery Fund scheme for the Park. We are currently talking to the War Memorial Preservation Society, who we have worked alongside, about a rededication of the War Memorial to mark its refurbishment.

"Details have yet to be sorted but we are hopeful that this event can be arranged in 2018.”

The war memorial originally opened on September 9 1922, four years after the end of the First World War, also known as the Great War.

The names of soldiers who died in the First World War are on plates around the memorial and list most men by surname and forename. In some cases it is just initials.

Those soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War and Korean War have their memorial in the form of a large stone supplementing the main war memorial.