Summary

First World War memorial with further names added after the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: granite.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is 2.5 metres in height and consists of a Latin cross set upon on a square shaft on a three-stepped plinth. The plinth stands on a simple square base.

The S face bears the First World War dedication and names in incised and painted lead letters with the dedication running across the upper two steps of the plinth and the names on the deeper, lower step of the plinth.

On the top step of the plinth the inscription reads: "THEIR NAME / LIVETH / FOR EVERMORE." The middle step of the plinth reads: IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE / MEN OF BANKS / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918.

The western plinth face bears the Second World War commemoration in incised and painted lead letters with the dedication on the middle step and the names on the lowest step. On the western face, on the middle step of the plinth is inscribed the following dedication: ALSO IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF BANKS WHO / DIED AS A RESULT OF / WORLD WAR II 1939 - 45. This is followed by the names inscribed on the lower step of the plinth.

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, 2 February 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, 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 at Banks as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War. It commemorates 19 local servicemen who fell during the First World War. 

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the 12 fallen of that conflict.

Reasons for Listing

Banks War Memorial 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: a simple yet dignified granite Latin cross.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478081

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)