The 1955 Wicomico County War Memorial

The 1955 Wicomico County War Memorial. . , Wicomico County War Memorial was designed by Mr. James K. Agnew a local citizen and constructed in 1955 with help and support of the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts at a time loses of some of our Nations most hard-fought conflicts were still very fresh. The 32 foot tall concrete monument contains a time capsule with a parchment scroll originally containing the names of 77 county citizens who gave their lives in service to their country in World War 1, World War 2 and the Korean War. , , In 2014, a new group of citizen volunteers raised funds to renovate the memorial. The scroll was removed, and an additional 90 names were added from those wars in addition to the 33 names since 1955 from the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. , , The Memorial honors those Wicomico Countians in perpetuity who made the ultimate sacrifice for their Country. , , The memorial site includes the placement of a 15cm (5.9 inch) German heavy field howitzer used in World War 1. This piece of artillery was manufactured in 1909 by Krupp Gun Works. , , The howitzer could fire a 90 pound projectile at 725 miles per hour for a distance of 4.5 miles. This type of artillery was one of the first types of modern German artillery to be equipped with a recoil mechanism. , , Under the Treaty of Versailles reparations to the Allies included the surrender of artillery pieces. This gun was donated to the City of Salisbury by House of representatives Resolution 3114 sponsored by William Noble Andrews from Hurlock Maryland serving the 1st Congressional District (1919-1921) in November 1919 which instructed the Committee on Military Affairs to authorize the Secretary of War to send “one German fieldpiece and carriage to the City of Salisbury Maryland. , , The gun was located in City Park for many years until moved to this memorial site for the rededication.