War Memorial - Church Square

The Leighton Buzzard War Memorial stands in Church Square. It is reputed to be unique amongst British Memorials, being at the time (and possibly still is), the largest single block of granite ever quarried in the British Isles. The block is 25 feet 3 inches high and 3 feet 2 inches square, weighing 22 tons. The Monolith was quarried in the Shap quarries about 1870 and remained in Messrs. Farmer and Brindley's yard at Westminster, until it was brought to Leighton in 1920.

The erection of the memorial took three days to complete, and during this, Mr Harry Yirrell and Mr Fletcher Brotherton, placed a lead tube containing silver and copper coins of the realm, in a bolt hole at the base, directly under the centre of the granite block.

An unveiling and dedication service took place on the second Anniversary of Armistace - 11th November 1920.

Wording on monolith facing into Church Square:

THIS MONOLITH IS ERECTED IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE LEIGHTON BUZZARD MEN WHO FELL IN DEFENCE OF THEIR KING AND COUNTRY 1914 - 1919

Wording and names on the monolith for World War One - east side (facing the Post Office):

THE HONOURED DEAD
PTE. H. ABEL PTE. F. ADAMS PTE. E. G. ADAMS PTE. J. ADAMS PTE. A. H. ADCOCK PTE. H. C. ANDREWS PTE. W. G. ARIS PTE. R. ATKINS PTE. J. W. AUGER 1st A.M. P. W. AVERY PTE. S. W. BAKER SGT. R. J. BEAUMONT PTE. J. BIERTON PTE. A. BOLTON PTE. C. BOON L. CPL. F. BOYCE D.C.M. SGT. W. BRANDOM PTE. H. BRANSOM 2nd LT. F. C. BRASINGTON PTE. J. F. BROWN PTE. B. F. BROWN GNR. J. G. BUTCHER SPR. R. P. BUTCHER PTE. G. CHURCH PTE. J. T. CLARE PTE. W. T. CLARE PTE. F. W. CLEAVER SIG. A. J. COOK PTE. E. CORNISH PTE. G. COSBY PTE. A. J. DAWSON PTE. W. DAWSON TRPR. C. G. DAY PTE. W. E. DEAN CPL. P. H. DIMMOCK PTE. F. DIMMOCK PTE. W. A. DINHAM PTE. A. J. DUDLEY SGT. W. EGGLETON PTE. W. EVANS PTE. A. J. FAULKNER PTE. R. K. FOXON 2nd LT. J. D. FRIPP	A.B. A. J. GALLOWAY PTE. G. GARNETT PTE. W. GARNETT GNR E. J. GASKIN L.CPL. C. F. GIBBS PTE. A. T. GIDDINGS SGT. J. GINGER TRPR. L. GIRLING CPL. W. J. GOING PTE. F. H. GOING PTE. H. GOING PTE. E. J. GOODMAN 2nd LT. C. H. GREEN PTE. G. GRIFFIN GNR. H. E. GRIFFITHS PTE. F. C. GROOM GNR W. J. HACK PTE. C. HALL PTE. H. G. HALL L.CPL. G. HALSEY SGT. E. J. HARRIS SGT C. HARRIS PTE. W. HART L.CPL. J. HELEY GNR. S. HOLLAND PTE. W. R. HOLMES PTE. E. HOLMES M.M. PTE. A. HORN PTE. J. HORN DVR. G. HUMBLES DVR. W. HUMBLES PTE. R. J. HYDE PTE. T. HYDE PTE. F. G. JAKEMAN PTE. H. JANES SGT. G. A. JANES PTE. C. JANES PTE. C. R. JOHNSON PTE. M. L. JOHNSON CPL. J. G. JORDAN PTE. G. KEEN PTE. A. KEMBER PTE. T. G. KEMPSTER

Wording and names on the monolith for World War One - east side (facing All Saints Church):

	THE HONOURED DEAD
	PTE. J. KING PTE. F. J. KING A.B. G. A. KING PTE. T. W. KITELEY PTE. A. H. LANCASTER PTE. J. LAWSON 2nd LT. J. A. LEE CPL. H. J. LUCK PTE. E. H. LUCK PTE. S. J. LUCK PTE. A. McCUBBIN PTE. J. MAJOR SIG. P. W. MARKS PTE. A. T. MASON C.S.M. E. R. MATTHEWS M.M. GNR. F. C. MEAD PTE. J. J. MEAD PTE. F. MEAD TRPR. R. MILES PTE. L. MOORE PTE. W. NASH PTE. J. G. NEWBURY PTE. E. F. ODELL PTE. W. PAGE PTE. H. J. PANTLING PTE. S. J. PANTLING SPR. L. PANTLING SGT. J. H. PARKER PTE. W. PARSONS PTE. A. J. PAYNE PTE. L. PAYNE TRPR. A. A. PEARSON PTE. W. G. PEASE PTE. F. E. PERRY PTE. R. E. PHILLIPS PTE. F. PHILLIPS RFN. A. G. PLUMMER LT. A. J. POUCHOT D.C.M. PTE. G. PRATT PTE. J. A. PROCTOR PTE. E. G. PURYER PTE. H. A. QUICK PTE. F. J. QUICK	PTE. J. RAYNER L.CPL. T. E. REDDING SPR. W. REEVE 2nd LT. F. R. RICHMOND CAPT. H. S. RICHMOND PTE. S. ROBERTS PTE. G. T. ROSE PTE. G. W. ROWE CPL. F. C. RUFFHEAD PTE. A. SAMUEL SPR. R. SANFORD PTE. J. B. SHCKLETON PTE. H. SHACKLETON PTE. S. SHEPHERD PTE. H. SMITH PTE. R. SMITH PTE. J. SMITH PTE. W. A. SMITH PTE. J. SMITH PTE. A. J. SMITH PTE. W. N. STEADMAN PTE. J. N. STEADMAN CPL. T. J. STEVENS PTE. W. STEVENS SPR. W. S. STEVENS PTE. H. G. STEVENS PTE. W. STEVENS PTE. E. J. TEW SPR. A. THOMPSON RFN. A. J. TILBROOK C.S.M. W. D. TOE M.M. PTE. W. TOMS LT. H. A. R. TOOLEY CPL. G. L. TOWERS TRPR. H. B. TURNEY PTE. T. UNDERWOOD SPR. F. WARD L.CPL. J. WERNHAM PTE. F. J. WEST L.CPL. W. S. WHYBROW PTE. L. G. WHITBREAD L.CPL. B. F. WHITMAN

Wording and names listed on plinth under the monolith, for World War Two - facing into Church Square:

1939 - 1945
SPR. F. G. BADCOCK PTE. H. P. BAINES GNR. R. G. BASTIN PTE. G. H. BILLINGHAM CAPT. R. W. BUTLER GNR. A. J. COOPER PTE. A. J. CLARK GNR. H. T. CLAYTON A.B. A. V. CREIGHTON STOKER P. DAVIES	CPL. W. J. DELL SGT. R. H. DENNISON A.B. C. G. EGGLETON SGT.OB. R. L. FITSELL SGT. C. S. FLEMMING SGT. F. J. FOSTER A.C.I. W. G. GARNER ADJT. S. A. E. GASKIN BDR. K. GILBERT CPL. E. H. GILL

Wording and names listed on plinth under the monolith, for World War Two - east side (facing All Saints Church):

1939 - 1945
P.O. A. C. GRIFFIN PTE. F. GROVES PTE. C. E. HEWITT PTE. S. T. J. HYDE CFN. W. JARDINE	MAJOR L. J. JORDAN PTE. F. J. KING A.C.I. W. J. KING PTE. W. J. LANCASTER L.SGT. H. J. LAW PTE. W. H. LEE	L.CPL. F. LINNEY PTE. P. C. MARKS PTE. A. H. MORRIS P.O. C. T. MORSE L.BDR. K. OLNEY

Wording and names listed on plinth under the monolith, for World War Two - east side (facing the Post Office):

1939 - 1945
SURG.LT. S. W. PRATT MARINE V. PRUDENT 2nd LT. G. A. ROWE MARINE E. G. SIFLEET CPL. H. P. SIMMS	PTE. K. E. D. SMITH F.O. L. F. STANNARD MARINE C. E. STEVENS SGT. W. C. WARD PTE. R. WASHINGTON	DRIVER C. J. WEST GNR S. BRAY L.BDR. W. J. WHITMAN GNR. R. W. J. WOODLAND FUSILIER P. W. WRAY
MAJOR J. H. PROCTER 1950

Wording and name on the monolith, for the Korean War - east side (facing All Saints Church):

KOREAN WAR 1950 - 53

PTE. G. HYDE