Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The granite memorial comprises a tall Latin cross with a tapering shaft, standing on a three-stepped base. The upper steps are square. An inscription in metal lettering on the front face of the top step of the base reads 1914-1918/ TO THE VICTORIOUS DEAD. Twenty names of those who died during the First World War are applied to the front face of the middle step. The bottom step is octagonal. On its front face an inscription, in applied metal lettering, reads 1939-1945 (5 NAMES).

Small granite flower holders are placed on the top step of the base and beside the diagonals of the lower step. The memorial stands on a small, triangular, grassed area alongside The Street just outside the entrance to the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed). Low wooden posts demarcate the edge of the grassed area.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 4 October 2017.

History

Earl Soham War Memorial was erected in remembrance of the men of Earl Soham lost in the First World War, and unveiled on 18 July 1920. It stands on waste Manorial ground owned by the Parish Council. An inscription was added at a later date to commemorate those who died fighting during the Second World War. Repairs to the lettering were carried out in 2010, funded by War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Earl Soham War Memorial, which stands on The Street in Earl Soham, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic Interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: an elegant and well-proportioned stone cross;
* Group Value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Mary.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677361

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6