The Ayscoughfee War Memorial. Photo: VNG080614-34

Names of Spalding’s fatal casualties in World War Two to be commerorated at Ayscoughfee Gardens memorial

Services personnel from Spalding who lost their lives in World War Two are to be permanently commemorated in the town’s Ayscoughfee Gardens.

Spalding branch of The Royal British Legion is planning to erect stone tablets bearing the 120 names of the fallen.
There is a roll of honour commemorating them in nearby St Mary and St Nicolas Church, but they are not included on the war memorial in Ayscoughfee Gardens, which was built to acknowledge lives lost in World War One.

Spalding RBL branch vice-chairman Frank White said: “The names are in the parish church but we want them at the war memorial too.”

It is anticipated that four tablets will be installed on a lean, possibly on the altar in front of the war memorial, which is a listed building and has constraints over what work can be done to it.
Mr White added: “We want the tablets in the best possible location.”

The branch is keen to engage a local stonemason for the tablets, which will be manufactured from regulation military grey stone.

Last year the final 24 names of World War One casualties were added to the war memorial after research by Spalding and South Lincolnshire Western Front Association member Cheryl Arnold. She has also been involved with the tablets project, for which grant funding is being sought.

The war memorial, which opened in 1922 and includes about 270 names, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also designed and built The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

Leave a Reply