The North Eastern Railway commissioned its own memorial for the 2,236 of its men who died during the First World War. Sir Edwin Lutyens, who built the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London was commissioned and work began in 1923. The memorial occupies the site of the original York Station coal depot and carriage sidings.
Controversy enveloped the proposals for the NER memorial and the York City War Memorial due to fears that neither were in keeping with York’s existing architecture especially as they were in close proximity to the city walls. Additional concerns were raised that the NER memorial would overshadow the City memorial which ultimately had to be scaled back due to lack of funds.