Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with additions for later conflicts.

Description

First World War memorial, 1920, with additions for later conflicts. The memorial stands at the southern edge of Finchampstead Memorial Park.

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: the design of the memorial is an adaptation of Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice with differences to the foot of the cross shaft and pedestal. The memorial comprises a tall Latin cross, octagonal in section, standing on an octagonal pedestal. The pedestal is raised on an octagonal plinth with a projecting top for the placement of floral tributes. The plinth stands on a low three-stepped base. A reversed sword in bronze is fixed to the front face of the cross.

The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the pedestal reads 'TO/ THE MEMORY OF/ FINCHAMPSTEAD MEN/ WHO IN THE GREAT/ WAR DIED FOR/ JUSTICE, LIBERTY/ AND RIGHT'. Below on the base is recorded 'ALL HALLOW E'EN/ MCMXX'. To the rear of the pedestal a further inscription reads 'I AM/ THE RESURRECTION/ AND THE LIFE/ HE THAT/ LOSETH HIS LIFE/ FOR MY SAKE/ SHALL FIND IT'.

The commemorated names are recorded on the remaining faces of the pedestal and plinth, with the name of the soldier who died in 2007 added to the rear of the plinth.

This List entry was 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 January 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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Finchampstead as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

On 31 October 1920 the memorial was unveiled at its original location on a traffic island at a junction to the to the north-east of the village. The unveiling was performed by the widows and mothers of the officers and men commemorated by the cross. It was paid for through public subscription and commemorates 22 local servicemen who died in the First World War. Following the Second World War the names of 12 men who died in that conflict were added. In 2008 the name of a soldier who had died in Afghanistan the previous year was added. The memorial was repaired in July 2013.

In 2022, following concerns about the safety of the original location, the war memorial was moved to a new location at the southern edge of Finchampstead Memorial Park. As part of the relocation project, the memorial was cleaned and restored. The memorial was rededicated on Remembrance Sunday, 13 November 2022.

Reasons for Listing

Finchampstead War Memorial, which stands at the southern edge of Finchampstead Memorial Park, 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 and C21;

Architectural interest:

* as a sympathetic adaption of Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q56784216

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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