A war memorial in the Crompton and Shaw area of Oldham was re-dedicated by a local branch of the Royal British Legion to mark its 100th anniversary.
The Crompton and Shaw War Memorial, situated in public gardens just off High Street, was unveiled 100 years ago - on April 29, 1923, by General Sir Ian S M Hamilton and was dedicated by the Reverend A R Mackintosh, the Vicar of Shaw.
The statue itself was commissioned by the Crompton War Memorial Committee in 1919 and was sculpted by Richard Reginald Goulden to depict a male figure protecting children from marauding creatures.
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At the time, the cenotaph was paid for by public subscription at a cost of £4,000, plus a further £2,067 was spent on landscaping the site.
There is also a time capsule built inside the monument which contains coins, a local newspaper, spun cotton and locally woven fustian, wartime and peacetime items, reports of the local Disabled Sailors and Soldiers Associaton and Urban District Council, and a summary of the war memorial project since it began.
Celebrating the now Grade II listed memorial on its centenary, the Shaw and Crompton Royal British Legion hosted a re-dedication service on Saturday (April 29).
The service was conducted by Reverend Katy Cunliffe while the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Elaine Garry, attended alongside standard bearers from across the borough and Crompton House School's brass band.
Sixth form student, Abby Brown, also played The Last Post which signifies the end of the day's activities and is commonly sounded at military funerals or commemorative services such as Remembrance Day.
Those who gathered for the momentous occasion were then invited to the Central Hall to enjoy light refreshments before moving on to the Cartshaft Pub - a popular bar dedicated to veterans - for curry and rice.
Secretary of the Shaw and Crompton Royal British Legion, Julie Atkins, said she found organising it "quite daunting" what with being new to the post while the day signified the club's first public event.
She said: "I emailed the Mayor's office to invite Councillor Elaine Garry and our local vicar, Reverend Katy Cunliffe, to ask if she would do the service.
"I work at Crompton House School so I asked our music department if our brass band players were free.
"Our standard bearer, ex-military serviceman, Andy Thorpe, then organised all the other standard bearers in the borough."
But the efforts of the group paid off as Ms Atkins said it attracted a generous turnout from residents.
She continued: "I put the information out on social media and we were really surprised at how many turned out with lots of service men and women, alongside Parish Councillors and members of the public.
"I'd like to give a special mention to the Spartans MCC Bikers who raise a lot of money for the British Legion.
"It really was a terrific event", Ms Atkins added.
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