Summary

First World War memorial, 1926, with additions for later conflicts.

Description

The memorial stands at the centre of Easington Colliery Cemetery, to the south of the Easington Colliery Disaster Memorial. It comprises a version of Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice, in pale grey granite. The cross, bearing a reversed sword in bronze, rises from an octagonal pedestal. That stands on a three-stepped, octagonal, granite base, which is raised on a further two steps of a different material.

A wreath with ribbons carved in low relief on the front face of the pedestal encloses the dedication OUR/ GLORIOUS/ DEAD/ 1914-1918, with below 1939 - 1945 in attached metal figures. The names of the commemorated First World War service personnel are listed on the remaining faces of the pedestal. The later names are listed on the faces of the two uppermost granite steps of the base.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 7 February 2017.

History

Easington Colliery War Memorial was unveiled on 30 January 1926 by Colonel Pickersgill, commemorating 198 local men who died during the First World War. It cost £440 and was made by GW Pratt of Easington. Following the Second World War, new inscriptions commemorating the 63 men who died in that conflict were unveiled in October 1949 by Lt-Col R Telford, Chairman of the Durham County British Legion Branch. A further inscription was added to commemorate the death of a soldier in Bosnia in 1995.

Reasons for Listing

Easington Colliery War Memorial, which stands in Easington Colliery Cemetery, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a sympathetic adaptation of Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26678068

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]