The opening of the War Memorial

The war memorial was unveiled and dedicated on Sunday 16th September 1956. The land, known as Wellhead Fields and Baldock's Paddock, had been purchased from the Marquess of Exeter by Bourne United Charities in 1945 to be preserved as a permanent open space for the town and part was used for the development of a Garden of Memory to those who had fallen in the two recent world wars.

A memorial fund was opened and the public were asked to contribute with the result that £1,700 had either been donated or promised by 110 subscribers and £200 of this had come from people living outside the parish. In addition, Mr William Castledine bequeathed £500 towards the cost of developing the land and a benefaction under the will of Alderman Thomas Whyment Atkinson JP, of Haconby Hall, who died in 1954, provided the rental income from 142 acres of land towards the project.

Brigadier Edward Richards, MC, of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, performed the unveiling and dedication ceremony and a guard of honour was provided by the Territorial Army, the regimental colours being carried by Lieutenant John Swallow of A Company. The ceremony was attended by relatives of those named on the memorial, civic leaders, councillors, the charity trustees and many ex-servicemen and women, and the band of the 4th/6th Battalion of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment (TA) provided the music.

Ministers from all denominations took part in the service during which the chairman of Bourne Urban District Council, Councillor Leslie Day, read lines from the war poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon. Wreaths were placed at the base of the cenotaph and the escort and colour party then paraded through the town to the Market Place where the salute was taken by Major General Griffin and the ceremony ended when the band beat Retreat. Since then, a service of remembrance has been held at the memorial every November to commemorate the town's war dead.

DEDICATION OF THE WAR MEMORIAL

The guard of honour

Council chairman lays his wreath

War Memorial dedication

Wreath laying in 1956

Wreath laying in 1956

The dedication and wreath laying at the new War Memorial  in South Street was held on Sunday 16th September 1956. The first wreath was laid by Councillor L R W Day, chairman of Bourne Urban District Council (top), followed by Brigadier Edward Richards, who also read the dedication and took the salute at the ceremonial march past, while (below) Horace Stanton watches as a relative lays her wreath.

THE OBSERVANCE OF REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY IN LATER YEARS

Remembrance Sunday 1980

The Remembrance Sunday parade in 1980 was held on November 9th and attended by the Earl of Ancaster who is see here (left) outside the Town Hall where he took the salute at the parade with Councillor Don Fisher, Squadron Leader Chris Adams of the RAF and the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor George Houghton.

Rembrance Sunday 1982

The wreath laying continues to this day and on Remembrance Sunday, 14th November 1982, those attending braved the rain to watch the wreath laying, attended by the Earl of Ancaster. The picture below is from 1994 and those attending were (from left to right) Mrs Mary Redshaw, the town clerk, Mrs Woolliscroft and (with wreaths) the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Mrs Lesley Patrick, Wing Commander David Woolliscroft from RAF Cottesmore, who had taken the salute at the parade through the town, Colonel John Thompson, Lady Jane Willoughby and Councillor Don Fisher. The parade marshal, Harold Jehu, is on the right.

Remembrance Sunday 1994

 

REMEMBRANCE FROM TIMES PAST

Prior to the opening of the War Memorial, Remembrance Day in Bourne was observed with a ceremony in the Market Place. Here is a report from the Stamford Mercury describing the event on Sunday 11th November 1923:

Treasured Memories:- An impressive service was held in the Market-place on Sunday morning when a large congregation assembled. Canon J Grinter, Vicar of Bourne, officiated and the Revs G Kirby White (Wesleyan), G Morgan (Baptist) and J A Halfpenny (Congregational) also took part. Mr R N Pattison sounded the "Last Post" which was followed by two minutes' silence, concluding with the "Reveille". A collection on behalf of Earl Haig's fund for ex-Service men raised £10. 5s. The morning services at all churches drew large congregations. At the Abbey Church, the Roll of Honour was read by the Rev E H Fletcher.

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