Situated in the heart of Huntingdon’s Market Square, the Grade II listed Thinking Soldier War memorial brings together the town to recognise those who have served in the two World Wars, and other armed conflicts since.

The statue was sculpted by Lady Katherine Scott (1878-1947), the widow of Captain Scott of the Antarctic. Lady Katherine was a regular guest at Hinchingbrooke House, the home of Lord and Lady Sandwich. It was through Lady Sandwich’s involvement with the Women’s Institute (who had raised the money for a war memorial) and communications to the Mayor from Lord and Lady Sandwich that she was asked to design the Memorial.

A Mayor’s fund was opened with a donation from the Town Council to receive public donations towards the cost of the Memorial base and cost of the erection. The statue was unveiled in 1923 on Armistice Day at 10.30 am in Market Hill, where he sits centre stage to remember the men of Huntingdon who gave their lives in the First World War.
An estimated 3,000 people attended the unveiling with a two-minute silence at 11.00 am and wreaths laid all around the Memorial after the service. It was reported that there was a continuous stream of spectators to pay homage for hours after the service.

After the end of the Second World War, the Mayor of Huntingdon sent a letter to the WI requesting that the names from the 1939-45 war be inscribed on the Memorial. A new inscription was unveiled on Armistice Day 1946. In 2001, the whole statue received a renovation. The inscriptions remained as before but with another added on the back to remember those who fought in conflicts since 1945.