The Bamburgh war memorial is located within a rocky hollow at the foot of Bamburgh Castle. The original memorial was in the form of a Portland stone cross with Christ figure mounted on a square plinth. Within the niche there are also a number of bronze plaques which record the names of the fallen. The memorial was designed by Messrs Hicks and Charewood and the sculpture was by Mr Milburn. It was unveiled by Lord Armstrong on the 15th May 1921.
In 2009, an award through the Grants for War Memorials Scheme, supported by English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation, supported works to the Bamburgh war memorial. These included the removal of biological deposits, cleaning, the consolidation of friable surfaces, re-pointing and mortar repairs. The inscription to the bottom of the shaft of the cross had faded and was illegible. Given the level of decay to this area it was agreed that a new piece of stone with the inscription would be pieced in. Finally, the bronze plaques also required cleaning, re-patinating and the application of a protective microcrystalline wax.
In 2016 another survey of the site found that some of the works undertaken in 2009 had failed and concerns were ongoing about the condition of the war memorial. It was felt that undertaking a comprehensive condition survey to identify all possible options for the future of the war memorial could help all parties decide on appropriate next steps for the long-term preservation of the memory of those commemorated.
In 2018, a further £2,250 through Grants for War Memorials assisted a geological assessment of the stone. The Parish Council together with the War Memorial Trust, decided that a replacement was necessary and a decision was made to have a replica carved. To do this, the memorial had to be removed and taken to the sculptor’s workshop to be copied. While the memorial was missing, it was decided to replace it with a There But Not There Tommy figure, widely used to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War.
The replacement memorial, carved by Adrian Melkha, is said to cost around £40,000, with 75% being funded by the War Memorial Trust. It was unveiled in November 2019 with a re-dedication service on Remembrance Sunday (10th November. Please take a moment to visit this poignant memorial in a magnificent location.
The log can be found a short drive/walk away at N 55° 36.ABC' W 1° 44.DEF' where:
A - Fourth number at the top of the left hand bronze plaque
B - First digit minus third digit on upper right bronze plaque
C - Number of letters in fourth word on base (To the glorious ________)
D - Number of letters in second word on bottom right plaque
E - Last digit on base minus second to last digit on base
F - Number of letters in 14th heroes first name on bottom right plaque
Checksum = 16
***** PLEASE NOTE IMPORTANT *****
CACHES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE PLACED ON ACTUAL MEMORIALS OR WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF SUCH
AT ALL TIMES PLEASE TREAT LOCATIONS OF MEMORIALS WITH RESPECT