Summary

First World War memorial, designed by H C Mitchell, unveiled on 30 September 1923, with further names added after the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Cornish granite.

DESCRIPTION: Atherstone War Memorial consists of a wheel-head cross constructed of silver-grey Cornish granite set on a tapered column. A Sword of Sacrifice is carved in low relief onto the front face of the cross. The column stands on a plinth on a six-stepped base, with each step representing a year from 1914 to 1919.

The plinth carries the inscription and names in lead lettering for the 158 men who lost their lives in the First World War. The inscription reads: IN/ GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE/ MEN OF ATHERSTONE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE WARS/ 1914 – 1919/ LET US LIVE TO KEEP/ WHAT THEY DIED TO SAVE.

Below this on the steps are three stone panels which carry the names of the 46 who fell in the Second World War. It is inscribed: 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England, 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.

A public meeting was called on 28 February 1919 to discuss the provision of a war memorial in Atherstone. The original intention appears to have been to provide a memorial hospital and cross. However, funds raised through subscription were insufficient and as such only the memorial cross was subsequently built.

The memorial was designed and built by Henry Charles Mitchell at a cost of £665. Mitchell was a monumental mason based in Tamworth who also exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1931 as a landscape painter. He designed several war memorials in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

The memorial was unveiled on 30 September 1923 by Major The Hon. George Peel, grandson of former Prime Minister Robert Peel. The local paper, the Tamworth Herald, reported that 5,000 people attended the ceremony. The names of the fallen from the Second World War were subsequently added in 1947.

In 2012 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Atherstone War Memorial, unveiled on 30 September 1923, 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 community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant granite wheel-head cross with carved decorative details;
* Designer: designed by Henry Charles Mitchell who is responsible for several war memorials.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26678155

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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