Chase Terrace and Boney Hay War Memorial, Burntwood, Staffordshire

Entry Name: Chase Terrace and Boney Hay War Memorial

Listing Date: 16 September 2016

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1438120

ID on this website: 101438120

Location: Chase Terrace, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS7

County: Staffordshire

District: Lichfield

Civil Parish: Burntwood

Built-Up Area: Burntwood

Traditional County: Staffordshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Staffordshire

Church of England Parish: Chase Terrace and Boney Hay St John

Church of England Diocese: Lichfield

Tagged with: War memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Carrara marble obelisk on a Robin Hood stone base.

DESCRIPTION: The Chase Terrace and Boney Hay war memorial is located outside St John’s Church (not listed) on the High Street, Chase Terrace. It is in the form of a marble obelisk, square on plan, rising from the cornice of a two-tiered rectangular plinth. The second tier of the plinth has buttresses at each corner. The plinth stands on a single marble step, on a Robin Hood stone base. The inscriptions are in flush lead letters on the plinth.

The dedicatory inscription on the front face of the plinth is on a raised tablet and reads “THEIR NAMES LIVE FOR EVERMORE”/ (NAMES)/ THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC/ SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MEMORY OF THE ABOVE/ MEN OF CHASE TERRACE AND BONEY HAY/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918. On the base below this is a name which has been added later, proceeded by 1914 – 1918. One side of the upper tier of the plinth has been inscribed with 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES) following the Second World War.

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, 19 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, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised outside St John's Church, Chase Terrace, 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 Chase Terrace and Boney Hay war memorial was unveiled on Sunday 6 February 1921 by Colonel V de Falbe and dedicated by the Vicar of Chase Town. Public subscriptions were raised to pay for the memorial and these totalled over £300. This included £50 which was left over from peace celebrations held in 1919, which first led to the suggestion of the creation of a permanent war memorial. Following the Second World War the names of those men who had died in that conflict were added.

The memorial was originally located immediately in front of the church door. However, it was relocated a few metres to its present position in 2009 due to subsidence. At this time the memorial was also repaired as movement generated by the subsidence had caused cracks in the marble.

Reasons for Listing

Chase Terrace and Boney Hay War Memorial, which stands outside St John’s Church, 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 conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an obelisk in the Classical style.

External Links

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.