Summary

War memorial for the First and Second World War.

Description

The limestone memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of All Saints (Grade II*-listed), to the north of the church. It takes the form of a large open book supported on two stone brackets to the rear, standing on a rectangular stone that is flush with the grass. The page-edges are carved and the two open pages are marked by a silken band, ending in an elaborate tassel, carved in low relief. The page to the left is inscribed 1914 – 1918/ (8 NAMES) and that to the right, 1939 – 1945/ (4 NAMES). Below across the pages is WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

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, 16 December 2016.

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.

One such memorial was raised outside the Church of All Saints, The Leigh, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. A war memorial was in place by 1923, when it appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:2500 County Series map for Wiltshire.

Reasons for Listing

The Leigh War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of All Saints, 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;
*     Design interest: an unusual type of memorial, taking the form of a stone Roll of Honour book; it appears to have influenced the choice of a number of later headstones in the churchyard which are also in book form;
* Group value: with the Church of All Saints (Grade II*-listed).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q99514716

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

• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)