The War Memorial in Countesthorpe is positioned in St Andrew’s Church churchyard.
In 2018, to mark the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War, the Parish Council renamed the Paddock to Centenary Paddock, as part of the Fields in Trust programme, as lasting memory to those who gave their lives in the First World War.
At the same event, on 10th November 2018, there was a rededication of the War Memorial which was conducted by the three local church ministers, and a commemorative wreath was laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Michael Kapur. This commemoration followed a refurbishment of the War Memorial site.
The War Memorial includes all the names of those who lost their lives during the First World War. In the book ‘Lost Lives’ by Henrietta Schultka, which is available in the Library, it reminds that Countesthorpe was one of the Leicestershire villages which saw the greatest loss of life in the First World War. Out of a population of just over twelve hundred people 189 men enlisted of which 49 did not return, around 25%. This was the reason H.R.H. The Duke of York, later to become King George V1, unveiled the war Memorial which was then dedicated by the Archdeacon of Leicester on November 24th, 1921.
Here is the programme for the service of the rededication of the Memorial which was held on 10th November 2018.