War memorials in the borough

Hinckley War Memorial was erected in 1921 on part of the Hinckley Castle site. The foundation stone was laid on 12 November 1921 and was unveiled and dedicated on 20 May 1922. The memorial comprises a stone wall with lower balustrade, which can be reached by a wide flight of steps. A row of panels with an inscribed central stone cross is flanked by bronze panels recording the names of the fallen in the Great War. A band below states:

The names of those who gave their lives in the great war, while the legend 'their name liveth for ever more

The memorial is overseen by a statue of the Angel of Mercy. The statue was positioned so that at the eleventh hour of the eleventh month, the shadow of the angel's outstretched arms falls across the listed names.

In 1924, the Garden of Remembrance was created. Additional bronze panels at the foot of the wall were added on 11 November 1951, recording names of those who died in the Second World War.

The war memorial was dedicated in a public event on 20 May 2022. Members of the armed forces, families of fallen servicemen, local historians, schoolchildren, civic leaders and members of the public marked one hundred years since Hinckley’s war memorial was dedicated. They attended a short service led by Rev Ian Hill in the Garden of Remembrance in Argents Mead, one hundred years to the day since the memorial was first dedicated. 

In a poignant nod to history, families of the bereaved Hinckley mothers who took part in the original foundation stone ceremony were special guests at the service, with each laying a wreath on behalf of their family. Local historian Greg Drozdz traced the families using research and a public appeal. 

Last updated: 04/12/2023 08:52