In 1926, a competition was held to create a memorial using public funds, with Charles Reilly, professor of architecture at the University of Liverpool, as assessor.

[1] The bronze relief on the northwest face, opposite the hall, depicts a stream of marching troops in the uniforms of the various armed forces.

[c] On the shorter northeast and southwest faces are circular bronze shields with the coat of arms of Liverpool and festoons, and the dates of the two wars.

[1] Also noted is the architectural interest of the cenotaph, with its horizontal lines forming a foil to the vertical columns of the hall.

[1] The design is considered to have contemporary significance in that rather than using "allegory and heroic idealisation", it employs "powerful and modern realist portrayals".

[1] In the Pevsner Architectural Guides, Sharples expresses the opinion that "it is one of the most remarkable war memorials in the country".