We Will Remember Them All!

War memorials from the Great War come in all manner of shapes and designs. I recently came across one that struck me as being particularly unusual and moving. Not surprisingly, memorials are usually dedicated to ‘The Glorious Dead’, but this one, in the Lancashire town of Rawtenstall, has a much wider dedication. Entitled Tribute of Honour, it reads as follows:

To the men who made the supreme sacrifice, to the men who came back and to those who worked at home to win safety for the Empire. 1914-1918.

Around the base of the obelisk are four panels with bronze reliefs depicting members of the armed services and, as mentioned in the dedication, ‘those who worked at home’: miners, railwaymen, trawler men, farmers and women in various roles.

On this International Women’s Day I want, especially, to highlight their invaluable role in the war and show how they are depicted on this memorial. From Land Girls and mothers…

… to nurses, munitions workers and policewomen.

It is good to see these women – in their various roles – depicted alongside their menfolk. A fitting reminder that it was a nation in arms.