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St Peter’s Church, Westleigh - War Memorial

St Peter’s war memorial is noticeably different to the others in that it features a life-sized statue of a soldier which makes it much more personal and emotive. It is said to be carved by Thomas Bratt of Leigh who was a monumental mason in Bond Street.

 

Ironically, Thomas approached the Leigh Military Tribunal in 1917 to apply for temporary exemption from conscription for his son, Walter. This was granted until at least August 1917 but appears to have been extended as there is no service record for Walter. He may even have been a Conscientious Objector or ‘Conchie’. But the memorial was raised by public subscription in memory of the soldiers from the parish.

 

St Peter’s was originally a mission school opened in 1862 but a church was erected in 1881 designed by Paley and Austin. This church, like the others of different faiths in Leigh, would have played a crucial role in recruiting soldiers and attempting to maintain morale during the war. But as the war raged on that became increasingly difficult. We will now proceed to Plank Lane bridge the location of a WW1 tragedy back home.

Click here for a map for this part of the tour.