Billericay – Billericay War Memorial

Billericay’s war memorial was unveiled on 16 October 1921 (so, by chance, 99 years to the day when I visited), listing the names of the 62 men from the town who lost their lives during the First World War. Sadly this of course wasn’t the end of war, a panel was added behind the memorial following the Second World War, with the names of 54 men who had died in that conflict.

A photo from the original dedication of the memorial is available at https://www.billericayhistory.org.uk/content/topics/place-2/war-memorials/billericay_war_memorial/first_world_war_memorial, and I’ve thought before what a challenging occasion these sort of unveilings must have been. The fathers and mothers of many of the war dead would turn up in their finery, proud of what their son had sacrificed, but still facing the searing pain of the loss of life.