The Great War caused great upheaval. It lasted too long; too many men were killed or maimed. Women had taken men's jobs; their contribution helped them to win the vote. The Government refused to bring bodies home; the rich tried to bring bodies back, the poor couldn't, so none were allowed to be returned. But neither could the poor visit foreign cemeteries. People overcome bereavement by burying their dead, which now was denied to everybody.

The erection of Memorials was a Government inspired initiative which offered something to focus on. Their 1923 Act allowed local authorities to levy a small rate towards costs and maintenance, a power they still hold. But locals decided for themselves what form their memorial would take.

The Memorials became surrogate tombstones which people could visit and pay their respects; the unveiling ceremonies became substitute funeral services.

Not all Memorials are in the open. In those impoverished times, some people erected Memorials to serve the living: hospitals, village halls, playing fields. Other choices were church furnishings, birdbaths, rolls of honour, boats, plaques, annuities, libraries, clocks, houses, gardens - the variety is astonishing!

Names on War Memorials is not an exact science. Those who moved away, or wanted to get on with life, or hoped their men would return, didn't offer names for inclusion on memorials. Others had the name in several places,- parish church, chapel, school, place of work, club, or they made an individual dedication such as a seat by the sea.

Those with immediate knowledge of those named on World War Memorials are themselves passing into history. War Memorials are evolving into another role - that of reminding us of what happens when the world goes to war.

Their message for us today is “Lest We Forget”.