The Fallen of Kirkby

The Kirkby-in-Furness War Memorial

The war memorial in St Cuthbert’s churchyard, Kirkby-in-Furness, carries the names of 30 men of the village who died for their country – 23 in the First World War and 7 in the Second.

This part of the website is dedicated to their memory, and to the memory of other men with connections to Kirkby who died in war but are not named on our memorial, perhaps
because they are on other war memorials in Furness.

Unveiling
Kirkby war memorial was unveiled by the Mayor of Barrow, Colonel Wadham, accompanied by the Mayoress and by Miss Wadham, on Easter Sunday, 1920. The NW Daily Mail of 6th
April reported that a large gathering of villagers and about 50 Great War veterans witnessed the ceremony, at which the Mayor made a short speech.

The Information Panel
The Information Panel grew from a suggestion by David Cooper. It was researched in the main by Roger Rushton with help from Andy Moss and erected by William Todd. It was fronted by the History of Kirkby Group with the very much appreciated support of the local slate quarry Burlington Stone who kindly provided the material for the stand. The cost of the panel was supported by relatives of those commemorated on the War Memorial, members of the Village, CGP Kirkby Ireleth Parish Trust Fund and the History of Kirkby Group. It was unveiled by David Cooper in the presence of a large group from the village on the 28th September 2013.

The Kirkby War Memorial
The Fallen of Kirkby information panel

Connections with other memorials

There is another war memorial in the village, at the quarry offices of Burlington Stone, and six men of the village who worked there are also commemorated on it. In the nearby town of Ulverston, Ulverston Victoria High School preserves the memorials from Ulverston Grammar School and Victoria Secondary School, and two Kirkby men from the Second World War are remembered there. Two of our men worked for the Furness Railway Company before going off to the First World War, and that company’s memorial, now displayed in Barrow station booking hall, carries their names. Many Kirkby men appear on national, regimental and Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials, and where these are known about the information is given in the entry under the casualty’s name.

The History of Kirkby Group welcomes any information that corrects errors or adds to the stories told in these pages. We will also respond to enquiries about the men named on the war memorial. Please email webmaster@history-of-kirkby.org
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