Memorial to be installed for 160 men who died in Great War
A war memorial to 160 men from Staffordshire who died in the First World War is to be erected in their home town.
The £12,000 monument will pay tribute to servicemen from Chadsmoor in Cannock. More than 100 of the names that will appear on the Portland stone obelisk have never been commemorated on any shrine.
The Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Rt Rev Clive Gregory will lead the dedication service on April 18.
Funds for war memorials have traditionally been raised by public subscription which meant that some less well-off areas have never been able to honour their dead.
Councillor Derek Davis, chairman of the dedication organising committee, said: "I am very very proud that 100 years on, we will be able to pay proper respect to the sacrifice they made by providing a memorial."
He said some of the men's names appear on wooden tablets, one in Chadsmoor Methodist Church and the other in the Baptist Bethany Church, but only 35 in total.
Others are on memorials in Cannock and Hednesford but two-thirds of those that lost their lives are not commemorated anywhere.
Councillor Davis said: "When I started working on this, I expected to find maybe 40 names, so I was overwhelmed with the final number of 160."
Members of the Staffordshire Regiment will bear standards at the dedication and a service will be held at St Chad's Church afterwards.
