Stolen war sculptures may be replaced

Todmorden Civic Society wants to raise funds to replace the two statues, entitled The Lamp of Memory and The Shield of Honour sculpted by Gilbert Bayes, a well-known sculptor from London, whose parents were originally from Todmorden.

They were erected in 1921 to honour the fallen Todmorden soldiers of the First World War.

The estimated cost of the project is in the region of £15,000 and it is hoped this will be met by fundraising events and individual private donations, as well as grant funding.

The Garden of Remembrance was designed by London Architect, Norman Thorp, son of the late C W Thorp, of Todmorden, and paid for by public subscription and contributions from local employers.

Talks have been held with officers from Calderdale Council and the civic society has submitted an application for funding for the project to the War Memorials Trust, which is currently being considered.

It is envisaged that the culmination of the project will coincide with the hundredth anniversary of the start of the First World War. Paul Clarke, chair of the Todmorden Civic Society, said, “Having a three year timescale for the project in order to commission some replicas of the statues in time for the anniversary makes it an achievable goal”.

Modern fixing methods make theft and vandalism more difficult and these techniques will be employed when they are installed.

The society has a number of photographs of the statues but they appealing to members of the public for personal photos they may have of the statues taken from different angles in order to assist with the facsimile stone carvings of the Bayes statues.

For more information, or to send photos, please email: [email protected]