The Response 1914 (also known as the Northumberland Fusiliers Memorial) is a war memorial in the public gardens to the north of the

Church of St Thomas the Martyr The Church of St Thomas the Martyr (known as St Thomas' Newcastle) in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. Is one of the most prominent city centre landmarks, located close to both universities, the city hall and main shopping district i ...

in Barras Bridge,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, and to the west of

Newcastle Civic Centre Newcastle Civic Centre is a local government building located in the Haymarket area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the main administrative and ceremonial centre for Newcastle City Council. Designed by the city architect, George Kenyo ...

. Designed by Sir William Goscombe John, the memorial was commissioned by Sir George Renwick, 1st Baronet, and unveiled in 1923. It primarily commemorates the Territorial Army "Pals" battalions of the

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...

raised by the local

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ...

in late 1914 for service in the First World War, which became known as the "Commercials". It also commemorates the safe return of Renwick's five sons from service in the war, and his 50 years in business as a ship-owner (he was also elected as the Member of Parliament for

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and then

Newcastle upon Tyne Central Newcastle upon Tyne Central is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Chi Onwurah of the Labour Party. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the fir ...

on three occasions between 1900 and 1922). The memorial was designed by Sir W. Goscombe John, who also designed the

Port Sunlight War Memorial The Port Sunlight War Memorial stands in a central position in the model village of Port Sunlight, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Wirral, Merseyside, England. The founder of the village and employer of its residents, William Lever, 1st Viscoun ...

Design

The memorial has a large base of Shap granite, with three steps up to a rusticated plinth and screen wall. In total the pedestal and decoration is high x wide x deep. The large black bronze sculpture, high x wide, was

founded Founding may refer to: * The formation of a corporation, government, or other organization * The laying of a building's Foundation * The casting of materials in a mold See also * Foundation (disambiguation) * Incorporation (disambiguation) In ...

by A.B. Burton at the

Thames Ditton Foundry The Thames Ditton Foundry was a foundry in Thames Ditton, Surrey, which operated from 1874 to 1939 and which under various owners produced numerous major statues and monuments as one of the United Kingdom's leading firms of bronze founders.

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

. The sculpture portrays dozen of figures, including two drummer boys and men saying goodbye to their loved ones, expressing both patriotism and anguish. An angel—an allegorical depiction of ''Renown—''blows a trumpet and flies over the crowd. The scene recalls the mobilisation of the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers in April 1915, who marched on the Great North Road to Newcastle Station. On the back of the memorial, three figures are carved into the granite.

St George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

in the centre, is supported on a bracket formed from two

seahorses A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

, with the arms of Newcastle to either side. Two soldiers in the uniform of the Northumberland Fusiliers stand either side of St George, one from the First World War to the right, and one from the founding of the regiment in 1674 to the left. The base of the memorial is surrounded by municipal patches of flowers, which used to be a more simple patch of grass. An inscription to the front reads (), followed by the name of the sculpture, 'The Response 1914'. On the rear face, inscriptions read (), the motto of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and: The memorial was the gift of Sir George and Lady Renwick and unveiled on 5 July 1923 at a ceremony attended by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

(later

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

). After restoration, it was rededicated on 25 October 2007 in the presence of

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

and descendants of the Renwick family. It became a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

in 1971 and was advanced to

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

status in October 2014. File:'The Response', World War I Memorial, Barras Bridge (detail) - geograph.org.uk - 1766135.jpg, Detail File:Rear of "The Response" sculpture, Newcastle upon Tyne (geograph 3062693).jpg, Rear elevation File:Newcastle Upon Tyne - Civic Centre View - geograph.org.uk - 760256.jpg, Setting beside Newcastle Civic Centre

References

External links

Entry on the
War Memorials Register maintained by the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

{{Goscombe John Buildings and structures completed in 1923 Buildings and structures in Newcastle upon Tyne Grade I listed buildings in Tyne and Wear Monuments and memorials in Northumberland World War I memorials in England 1923 sculptures