The Marston Lads

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three-quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

Marston War Memorial was erected in the churchyard south-west of the former Church of St Paul, now the site of Marston Church Hall, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by local servicemen who lost their lives. It was paid for by public donations. The memorial, dedicated to 27 Marston men, was carved by A & A Senior Monumental Masons of Victoria Road, Northwich and unveiled by Mr G W Malcolm on Saturday November 13 1920. The ceremony included the Bishop of Chester, and local clergy and dignitaries.

Two First World War soldier's war graves also stand in the same churchyard. Following the Second World War the memorial was re-dedicated with the addition of ten names of fallen servicemen.

It was restored in 1998, due to subsidence as a result of historic salt mining at the Salt Lion Works where many of the fallen worked.

The Marston war memorial was dedicated on the 13th November 1920.

It took the local community less than two years to raise the money to fund the memorial.