Crossgar War Memorial Hall was opened on Remembrance Day (11th November) 1952 “as a memorial to the local men who lost their lives in the two World Wars.”

When plans were discussed to create a war memorial in Crossgar, the original committee (then headed by prominent Crossgar businessman and councillor, T J McMillan) believed a public hall would be of more benefit to the community than a statue.

The new public hall was officially opened by Mr A G Algeo CBE (past president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union) and a memorial plaque bearing the names of the soldiers who lost their lives was unveiled by Mr J A Jaye (pictured). The architect of the new hall was Mr E M’Kibbin and the building contractor was Mr J Hamilton. The hall cost £8,000 to build. Among its donors was Sir James Martin of Crossgar, inventor of the ejector seat. The main support came from the Carnegie UK Trust.

For seven decades, a wide range of community groups have used the hall for hundreds of events, chiefly dances in the early days. Throughout these decades, the hall has been run by local people who have devoted countless voluntary hours to keeping this important community facility open to the public.