War memorials were mainly constructed after WWI to commemorate the troops who gave their lives in the war. Many were then updated after WWII. Some war memorials date back to the Boer War. Almost every town and village in Britain has a War Memorial. They take many forms the commonest being an obelisk, a cross or statue of a soldier. Some commemorate the inhabitants of a place, some are for schools and others are for companies or Military groupings.