War Memorial, Witton Gilbert

The war memorial in Witton Gilbert was built to commemorate 43 local servicemen who lost their lives in the First World War. 222 men from Witton Gilbert served in that war. The memorial was designed by JG Burrell of Durham and was originally unveiled on the 2nd of September 1922 by Lt Col JR Ritson of Sniperley Hall and dedicated by Rev. WE Elder, the Curate of Witton Gilbert. After the Second World War the names of 10 men who lost their lives were added.

The memorial originally stood in Graham Memorial Park in Witton Dene. When parts of the old village were demolished the memorial was left in an isolated position. It was therefore relocated to a new site between Sacriston Lane and Briar Lea in 1978. The memorial was moved by members of 105 Squadron, 72 Regiment the Royal Engineers with support from the local community. It was unveiled in its current location by Capt D Brown and rededicated by Fr Ian Hoskins on the 5th of November 1978.[1] In 2000, the memorial was cleaned and it's lettering recut by Abbey Stonecraft.[2] The memorial is Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England.