War Memorials Trust

War Memorials Trust
Name	War Memorials Trust
Formation	1997
Type	Charity
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom

War Memorials Trust is a British charity dedicated to the preservation, conservation and protection of historic memorials across the United Kingdom. The Trust provides advice, grants and training to assist custodians, communities and local bodies in caring for monuments commemorating conflicts such as the First World War, Second World War, Crimean War and other campaigns involving British and Commonwealth forces. It collaborates with heritage agencies including Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw, and Northern Ireland Environment Agency to promote best practice for listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and locally significant memorials.

History

The organisation was established in 1997 amid centenary and bicentenary commemorations that included attention to Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites, Imperial War Museum activities, and public memorials erected after the Battle of the Somme and the Gallipoli Campaign. Early work involved inventories comparable to surveys by the National Inventory of War Memorials and partnerships with municipal bodies such as the City of London Corporation and county councils in Westminster, Gloucestershire, and Greater Manchester. Over time the Trust expanded liaison with conservation bodies including National Trust, English Heritage (now Historic England), and academic institutions such as the University of York and the University of Sheffield for research into stone decay, metalwork corrosion, and inscription conservation.

Purpose and Activities

The Trust aims to protect memorials from neglect, vandalism, and inappropriate alteration while supporting remembrance linked to events like the Battle of Britain and the Dunkirk evacuation. It issues technical guidance on materials such as Portland stone, granite, bronze and oak used in memorials found across sites from St Paul's Cathedral environs to parish churchyards in Cumbria, Kent, and Cornwall. The charity provides training for custodians in partnership with organisations like the Royal British Legion, Veterans UK, and local civic societies, and promotes awareness through exhibitions alongside museums such as the National Army Museum and the Scottish National War Memorial.

Grants and Conservation Programmes

The Trust administers grant schemes to subsidise works ranging from structural repair of plinths to conservation of bronze statues and repair of decorative ironwork, modeled on funding instruments used by bodies like the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council England. Grants are targeted to custodians including parish councils, unitary authorities, and faith organisations such as Church of England parishes and Church in Wales congregations. Conservation programmes follow guidance from professional bodies including the Institute of Conservation and employ contractors registered with the Construction Industry Training Board standards when addressing issues recorded in surveys of cemeteries containing Commonwealth war graves and civic memorial gardens.

Campaigns and Advocacy

The charity runs campaigns to save at-risk memorials threatened by development proposals adjacent to sites like Tower of London environs or transport projects overseen by Network Rail and local planning authorities such as borough councils in Lambeth and Bristol. It advocates for legal protections under listing mechanisms administered by Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, and Cadw and engages MPs from constituencies across Westminster to support early-day motions and inquiries. The Trust also coordinates responses to incidents of theft and metalwork theft affecting bronze statues in towns such as Birmingham, Liverpool, and Cardiff and works with police forces including the Metropolitan Police and Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises individual supporters, professional conservators, regimental associations and civic organisations including borough councils and county archives such as Kent County Council Archives and Somerset Archives and Local Studies. The board includes trustees with backgrounds from institutions such as the National Trust, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the British Museum, and the charity is regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and engages with auditors and legal advisers experienced in heritage law and planning policy.

Notable Projects and Case Studies

Case studies include conservation of municipal memorials following campaigns in Southwark and restoration of sculptural memorials by artists linked to the Royal Academy of Arts and commissions originally unveiled by figures associated with the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Projects have addressed damage from environmental factors seen in coastal memorials in Dover and Scarborough and have recorded inscriptions on rural war memorials in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Surrey. Collaborative initiatives with the Imperial War Museum and universities have documented memorialisation associated with regiments such as the Coldstream Guards and the Royal Air Force.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding derives from grants, donations, legacies, and partnerships with statutory bodies including Historic England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, county councils, and philanthropic trusts such as the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation. Corporate partnerships with construction firms, insurers and firms in the heritage sector supplement income, while collaborative projects involve museums, archives, and educational partners including the University of Cambridge and the University of Glasgow.

Category:Cultural heritage organisations in the United Kingdom