Henlow War Memorial

Postcard showing Henlow War Memorial [ref: Z1130/58/10]

There were two war memorials erected in Henlow, one in the High Street and the other in the Church. 

The High Street memorial wass unveiled on 21st May 1920 with money raised by public subscription; the site cost £343 and the memorial £273 7s 0d. The masons were Joseph Whitehead & Sons. An account in the Bedfordshire Times on the 28th May 1920 following the dedication. After the ceremony the key of the gate was handed to the Parish Council and they became the custodians of the memorial [ref: CRT130HEN/12]

The memorial takes the form of an enclosed area in the centre of which is a plinth surmounted by a column. Each face of the base contains inscriptions topped by a wreath. There are 27 names for World War I and 7 for World War II. 

The memorial was cleaned and restored in 1988 and it was refurbished in 2010. 

The war memorial in the church is a wall mounted stone panel with the inscription: 

REMEMBER WITH THANKSGIVING / AND ALL HONOUR THESE MEN OF / HENLOW WHO GAVE THIER LIVES / FOR KING AND COUNTRY AD 1914 - 1918 / (NAMES IN TWO COLUMNS) / "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE"

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives: 

• Z878/1/70: Chestnut tree and War Memorial cross in the churchyard [Colour], Undated [1938 - 1969]
• Z1130/58/1: Multi-view coloured postcard showing views of The Grange, Memorial and High St., Park Lane, St. Mary’s Church Henlow, 1980 to 1990
• Z1130/58/2: Multi-view postcard captioned Henlow showing views of High Street, Aerodrome Road, War Memorial, Village Pump and Schools and St. Mary’s Church, 1920 to 1930
• Z1130/58/10: Coloured postcard with the caption The Memorial, Henlow, 1930 to 1940
• Z1838/3/2/63: Photograph of Henlow War Memorial, 2000