Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB17/15/012

Address :
War Memorial Market Square Dromore Co Down BT25 1AW

Townland:
Ballymaganlis

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
13/04/2016 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Memorial

Former Use
Memorial

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
202-4

IG Ref:
J2025 5334

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Owner Category

Local Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

A Portland stone memorial commemorating the two World Wars dating from 1926, with bronze figure of a soldier on a Portland stone obelisk with bronze commemorative plaques. Located on a stepped stone plinth to the east side of Market Square in Dromore town centre. Pedestal on a chamfered plinth has various brass plaques to three faces commemorating those lost in both wars. Plaque to east face reads “THIS MEMORIAL IS TO PERPETUATE/ THE NAMES AND HONOUR THE MEMORY/ OF THOSE FROM THIS DISTRICT/ WHO SERVED IN / THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918/ THE NAMES ON THIS TABLET/ ARE OF THOSE WHO MADE THE/ SUPREME SACRIFICE ON BEHALF OF THE KING AND EMPIRE”. Plaques to south and north bear the names of those lost in World War II. Obelisk is surmounted by bronze figure of a soldier standing on a grassy verge and carrying a rifle; directly west of the memorial is a flagpole. Setting The memorial site on a stepped stone plinth to east side of Market square, east of Dromore Town Hall (HB17/15/010A). Material: Portland stone and bronze

Architects

J Robinson & Son

Historical Information

Dromore war memorial dates from 1926 and is first shown on the OS map edition dating from the 1960s/70s, captioned ‘War Mem[oria]l’. Not long after the end of the First World War, a council sub-committee began examining the proposal to erect a war memorial and by January 1920 designs from 22 firms had been received, representing over 40 different classes of memorial. The committee recommended two of the designs, that of Mr Wilde with a bronze figure of a soldier walking over the battlefield on top of a pedestal and that of Messrs J Robinson & Son with the figure of a soldier on guard. The designs were to be exhibited for the inspection of the public in Dromore’s shop windows. (Dromore Leader) By May the design of Messrs Robinson & Son had been chosen and it was established that it would take twelve months for the sculptors to prepare the statue. The statue would be of bronze, the pedestal of granite and the memorial would stand 20 feet high. The cost would be £1,250 and arrangements were then made to raise the money. (Dromore Leader) However, problems were experienced with collecting funds and the committee began to ask openly if there was sufficient will in the town to erect a memorial. A member of the committee took the view that, ‘People were very anxious about a memorial at the first but they are not so warm now, and don’t care about soldiers, memorials or anything else’. Others felt that smaller towns such as Waringstown were putting up a memorial and Dromore should do so too. ‘Times are bad about Dromore just now, but they won’t always be that way, and I have no doubt the money could be raised’ It was resolved to redouble efforts to raise funds but nothing further came of the scheme for some years. (Dromore Leader) The memorial was finally unveiled on Sunday 19th September 1926 at 3.30 pm, in a ceremony of heightened emotion for all present. Space at the front of the crowd was reserved for ex-servicemen and the immediate relatives of those men who made the ‘Supreme Sacrifice on behalf of their King and Country’. Rev Andrew Thompson of First Dromore Presbyterian Church presided over the service. Scripture reading and prayers were followed by the singing of psalm 90 and the memorial was then unveiled by Mrs Waring of Waringstown. The names of the fallen were read out followed by the last post played by the Buglers of the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry. An address by the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor and Dromore preceded the laying of wreaths. (Dromore Leader) The memorial commemorates 90 men and one woman (a nurse) who had been killed in active service and another 400 who had served. The bronze sculpture represents a soldier in full fighting equipment with rifle and bayonet at the ready and was thought to be ‘beautifully executed’ in bronze and is mounted on a column of Irish limestone. In 1926, the community of Dromore was still grieving the loss of many young men ‘whom you all knew – friends and companions of your boyhood and youth, comrades in the field of battle, the unreturning brave who gave their lives that we might live’. An acknowledgement was made of those who ‘are living over again just now the shock and sadness of that first intimation from the War Office that their dear one was killed in action or died of wounds or was posted missing. Time’s gentle hand has been performing its kindly office of healing the wound then made, but I know the doings of this day are laying bare again that wound’. (Dromore Leader) Mrs Waring spoke of the ‘dark years of the great war, years of anxiety and strain for all, years of sadness to many. They remembered when the call came how willingly the men responded. She spoke of their eagerness to do their duty and went on to say it was their present duty and privilege to see to it that their names would be remembered and honoured through future generations’. At the time of unveiling the memorial it was regretted that ‘several names were omitted from the tablet’ and these were to be added later. (Dromore Leader) Sixty five additional names were added to the monument in June 2007, when a bronze plaque bearing their names was unveiled. The men had fallen during the First World War and their names were recovered following seven years’ research by Jeffrey Martin who subsequently published a book about his discoveries. The War Memorials Trust provided grant aid and the bronze was manufactured by Bronze Restoration of Surrey who were able to match the existing plaque. (www.bronzerestorations.co.uk; Dromore Leader) References: Primary Sources 1. OS Map 202 – 1960s/70s 2. Dromore Leader 24th January 1920 3. Dromore Leader 31st January 1920 4. Dromore Leader 8th May 1920 5. Dromore Leader 22nd January 1921 6. Dromore Leader 5th August 1922 7. Dromore Leader 11th September 1926 8. Dromore Leader 25th September 1926 9. Dromore Leader 14 July 2006 Secondary Sources 1. www.bronzerestorations.co.uk

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form J. Setting

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A landmark Portland stone and bronze war memorial dating from 1926 commemorating the two World Wars. The sculpture depicts a soldier standing on a grassy verge carrying a rifle. Good setting in the town square in front of the former market house. The addition of further names is also of note, in that it represents ongoing local interest in the memorial. Dromore war memorial is a good example of the type, incorporating fine sculpture and plaques.

General Comments

Date of Survey

30 April 2012