Finishing touches put to new Bamburgh war memorial sculpture

The monument, costing about £40,000, has been carved by Adrian Melkha and will take its place on the rocky crag below Bamburgh Castle later this autumn.

“It’s stunning work,” said Bamburgh Parish Council vice chairman Andy Bardgett. “The sculpture work is basically finished apart from a bit of tidying up.

“I am sure it’s better than the original was when it was first done. It’s tremendous work and it’s good to see it’s progressing well.”

“They’re hoping to erect it at the end of October and it will be rededicated on Remembrance Sunday. The intention is that there will be a remembrance service in the church and then on to the memorial.”

Refreshments will be offered afterwards in Bamburgh Pavilion.

The original war memorial dated from 1920 with alterations following the Second World War. Over the years, the stone of the memorial eroded and in 2010 some renovation work was carried out.

Unfortunately, the stone used to repair the memorial proved to be even less durable and the inscription rapidly became unreadable and the surface treatment, meant to protect the original stone, caused it to erode further.

The parish council, with the War Memorial Trust, decided that a replacement was necessary.

Until the memorial is replaced, a There But Not There Tommy figure is in situ. They were widely used to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War.