Summary

Ingham war memorial, unveiled in 1919 and dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.

Description

Ingham war memorial was completed in November 1919, built by Hanchets monumental masons to the designs of Rev W A Wickham. The granite stone monument, which stands approximately 4 metres in height, takes the form of a Latin cross with an octagonal tapered shaft positioned on an octagonal step surmounting a square-plan plinth and platform. The collar of the tapered shaft, beneath the cross, features carved detail of a crown with floral motifs. The principal face of the plinth bears a recessed panel inscribed with the epitaph, ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN PERPETUAL MEMORY OF SOLDIERS WHO DIED IN THE GREAT WAR (1914 - 1919) 8 OF THEM DIED IN THE AMPTON RED CROSS HOSPITAL AND ONE OF THEM IN THE LEWISHAM HOSPITAL THEIR NAMES LIVETH FOR EVERMORE’ along with the names of the nine who fell.

The memorial is set to the south of the Church of St Bartholomew (listed Grade II*; NHLE 1031246) and is prominently positioned in the southern portion of the churchyard to the north of the Old Rectory, which was built c1850 (listed Grade II; NHLE 1198734).

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, 10 August 2017.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Prior to then memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, which was the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

Ingham war memorial was erected in memory of nine local men who fell as a result of injuries sustained in the First World War (1914-18), eight of whom died in the Ampton Red Cross Hospital, Suffolk (located approximately a mile to the east of Ingham), and one who died in the Lewisham Hospital, south-east London. The memorial was built to the designs of Rev W A Wickham, a local antiquarian and the Rector of the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Ampton, Suffolk. Rev W A Wickham felt the tragic consequences of the war first-hand, his only son, Lieutenant B W T Wickham, having been killed in action in April 1917 shortly after being awarded the Military Cross for ‘conspicuous gallantry’. Following the war, Wickham produced designs for two other Suffolk memorials; one at Yaxley and another at Great Thurlow, which were unveiled in February and April 1921 respectively. The memorial at Ingham is the earliest of the memorials designed by Wickham following the First World War and clearly established the precedent for the design of the two later monuments. The firm responsible for the construction of Ingham war memorial were renowned Suffolk monumental masons, Hanchets (established 1776), who built and carved at least 20 other First World War memorials in the Suffolk area.

The memorial was unveiled at a ceremony held in November 1919, which was attended by the Liberal politician Sir Thomas Courtenay Theydon Warner, who held the title Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk and Baronet of Brettenham Park, Suffolk.

Reasons for Listing

Ingham war memorial, unveiled in November 1919, set to the south of the Church of St Bartholomew, 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: as a well-executed Latin cross memorial with a set of original carved inscriptions to the plinth;

* Group value: for the strong group value it holds with the Grade II* listed Church of St Bartholomew, situated immediately to the north of the memorial.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677823

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.

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