Westfield War Memorial Village, Lancaster: Living Memorial
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ to ex-service personnel
The Westfield War Memorial Village is a living memorial to those who made a sacrifice in World War One. The first home was built here in 1919 and the village was officially opened in 1924 by Lord Haig β the former War Secretary. Now, there are 113 homes here (22 are privately owned). Residents are ex-service personnel.
The idea for Westfield came from the local architect Thomas H. Mawson. He had lost his youngest son in the Great War and wanted to create a community for the families of men whoβd been badly injured. The land was donated by a well-known local family β the Storeys - and money was raised by the Lancaster community.
The Storey family has maintained close links to the village, in particular the charity which was set up to run it β and which still exists today owning the freehold.
The centrepiece of the village is a striking statue of a soldier offering water to a badly wounded comrade.
Many of the homes have names relating to WW1 battles. Recently, newer buildings have taken the names of more recent actions and conflicts β such as βKorea.β βAdenβ and βGoose Green.β
Recent arrivals at Westfield include veterans from Afghanistan.
Location: Westfield War Memorial Village, Lancaster LA1 5PE
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