War Memorials and War Memorial Plaques

Maybe not the first material you think of for a war memorial, but it is surprising how many we do make. Our carpenters can make them exactly the way you want. We make them large or small in a range of timbers. Iroko is very useful in that it is full of oil and needs little maintenance. Oak is incredibly beautiful, and we usually treat with a commercial satin varnish. Sapele is a dark red wood, the only suitable if you want gold lettering.

For a superior war memorial, we can inlay an engraved Corian plaque into a  wooden tablet – unique and very attractive.

More Information

Cast bronze is the tradition material used for war memorials. Unfortunately, it is the most expensive too. However, if you do have the funds available it is beautiful, very tactile and will last a very long time with virtually no maintenance.

Our cast bronze plaques are cast in the traditional sand casting method, but using computer technology to create the patterns. The best of both worlds. To finish the technicians can paint the background and polish the letters or patinate the whole plaque.

Digitally printed full colour war memorials may be considered are little too modern for some. They do have some advantages, though. Firstly they can contain a lot of text so the onlooker can see the story behind the memorial. Secondly, we live in an age of images, and by adding full-colour images, the memorials are more engaging.

There are two options – both are weatherproof and resistant to fading. The anodised aluminium plaques have the text and images locked into the tough anodised layer. The TOUGH PRINT memorial plaque are completely encapsulated and heat treated to create a plaque comparable to stove enamelling.
More Information

For a simple war memorial an engraved plaque is ideal. We can cut and engrave them to any size. They can be mounted on wooden or Corian backing boards, and tree stakes or posts are available in wood or metal.

We have a massive range of fonts to choose from, and most images or crests are usable, even if we have to send to a graphic designer to redraw first.

Materials for the plaques include coloured anodised aluminium, acrylic laminate, stainless steel and top quality engravers brass in thicknesses of 1.5, 2mm and 3mm. Beware many online companies use cheaper brass which tarnishes faster.
More Information

These plaques are perfect for use as a war memorial working so well with the detailed crests which are often required. The lettering is raised but it can be small so plenty of wording can be included. The backgrounds can be painted, usually in black or blue but other colours can be used. The images, crests and military badges are hand-painted.

Zinc is tough and durable and it does not rust or tarnish making it ideal for memorials. The plaque is created using solid zinc plate and etching away the background to leave the letters raised.

We make more engraved Corian war memorials than any other type of war memorial. The reason for this is because they look like stone, but the lettering can be much smaller than we could engrave into slate or granite.

The other advantage with Corian is that it is thinner and lighter weight than slate or granite. This means that plaques can easily be fixed to a wall or a tree stake.

If a colour image is required we can inset an anodised aluminium plaque into the corian which will be flush with the surface.

More Information

Most of the granite and slate used for war memorials is for plinths and wedges which have a corian plaque attached.

However, we have recently developed a new method of engraving detailed crests badges and images into stone. The colour panel is first inlaid, and the detail is then laser etched into the panel. See the crest on the round slate memorial to the right.

More Information