Precious Bronze WW1 Memorial Plaque Brought to Life By EFX

At EFX, we love to support local endeavours that recognise milestones and past events in a beautiful way, those that champion community efforts and celebrate the wonderful part of the country EFX are based in.

Client and friend Peter Arkle, treasurer of ‘The Friends of Midland Oak Park’ in Leamington Spa, approached us earlier this year with the dream to commemorate our equine friends during WW1, to accompany the commemorative plaque which already exists in the park honouring the men of the Warwickshire Horse Artillery.

‘The Friends of Midland Oak’ are a small group of locals formed 10 years ago with the aim of maintaining the wellbeing of Midland Oak Park in Leamington Spa. The original Oak tree in the park was said to represent the centre of England, a significant feature for the local area. They are a group of 8 to 10 members from varying backgrounds, the membership also includes the current and past Mayors of Leamington Spa.

Their aim is to gather on a regular basis to check and maintain the park, litter picking and pruning any errant foliage and work closely with the council who are responsible for general maintenance and horticulture. Projects instigated by the group and funded by Council backing in recent times have included a complete revamp of the children’s play area and more recently the provision of outdoor exercise equipment.

After much debate and having rejected various ideas from full size horse sculptures to horse heads on plinths, Peter suggested to contact EFX for some professional inspired input.

The first idea considered was a series of horse head figures in stainless steel which would be attached to the original mounting stone for the existing plaque tribute honouring the Warwickshire regiment, but in the final, they all agreed that a plaque of similar dimensions to the original would be the way to go, to keep a running theme and mirror the bond of horse & man.

The final outdoor plaque was cast in hardwearing and high quality Verdigris bronze. Dave Arnold of Stratford Profiles donated the upright metal stand as his grandfather served in the army around the time of these events, nearly 100 years ago. The text for the plaque was prepared by the vice chair of Friends of Midland Oak and the horse image was developed by James in design at EFX, with the final incarnation being approved by the committee.

The significance of this piece being created for August 2026, is that on August the 14^th 1914, the regiment mustered at Midland Oak Park before heading off to war. The assembled included troops and over 200 horses which were used to haul the guns and ammunition. From the park they made their way to the railway station where trains took them to Bury St Edmunds, eventually they arrived in Le Havre on November 1st, embarking from either Felixstowe or Harwich.

Old with the New

The new memorial plaque now sits proudly next to the original, to honour the horses who fought alongside the men for our country, all those years ago. We were honoured to be asked to create such a special plaque, with a team full of equine lovers. Peter had this to say about working with EFX on this treasured piece –

“The production process was seamless and the finished article was even better than envisaged. Now fully installed it looks amazing. Regarding the install, special mention must go to Melanie’s contact Dave Arnold of Stratford Profiles Ltd who produced the painted galvanised steel mounting bracket and presented it free of charge in honour of his great grandfather who fought in the conflict.”

We’ll continue to get a lot of joy from playing a special part in our community ventures – please get in touch for any commemorative pieces, that are made to last a lifetime.