A County Remembers

In 1923 a County War Memorial was completed to commemorate fallen servicemen from the county of Montgomeryshire. It was built by means of public subscription. Standing 14 metres high, 320 metres above sea level. It is built of white Portland Stone and was originally dedicated to those men from Montgomeryshire who fell in the 1st World War. It is situated on a hill overlooking the border town of Montgomery and is visible for many miles in all directions. The climb up from the path opposite the Castle car park is not difficult, though good footwear is recommended. Beautiful views reward the visitor from the top with Cadair Idris clearly visible on a fine day.

In 1990 the monument was seriously damaged by an earth tremor. For the next 12 years the repair and refurbishment of the County War Memorial became the sole focus of attention for one man - Terry Boundy, who noted: - "The object must be to repair the County War Memorial and to hold in trust with Montgomery Town Council funds sufficient for this work to be carried out and leave a sufficient amount for the future care and upkeep of the Memorial." In addition, he pressed successfully for proper direction signs to be erected and an entry to be made in the local Guide Book next to the details of Montgomery Castle so that each would enhance the other as an attraction for visitors.

Until more recently however the town of Montgomery had a memorial garden but no war memorial as such. In 2014 (to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War} a large granite rock was placed in the garden with the names of the fallen inscribed on a plaque on the front. The two memorials now nicely complement each other.