Summary

A churchyard First World War memorial of 1921, which takes the form of a stone Celtic cross.

Description

A churchyard First World War memorial of 1921.

MATERIALS & PLAN: a wheel-head cross of rough-hewn limestone with a tapered shaft, set on a tapered plinth upon a two-stepped base. The cross faces south towards the road.

The cross has a Celtic outline and both it and the relatively short shaft are carved from one piece of stone. The deep plinth is tapered and bears the following inscription: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY / OF THE FOLLOWING MEN OF THIS PARISH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES)/ LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND - WE FOR ENGLAND DIED. The two steps of the base have chamfered tops.

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, 23 November 2017.

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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also 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 at Doddington, Shropshire as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The monument was unveiled by Mrs R Lee-Roberts and dedicated by the Bishop of Hereford in a ceremony on 5 March 1921.

Reasons for Listing

Doddington War Memorial, Shropshire 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 First World War;
* Architectural interest: as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial, which takes the form of a rough-hewn, Celtic cross;
* Group value: with the Church of St John, Doddington (Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66477790

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

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover