Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with further names added after the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: rough-hewn Cornish granite.

DESCRIPTION: Bluntisham and Earith memorial consists of a wheel-head cross with a carved central boss on a tapered shaft and square tapered plinth, which is set upon a rough-hewn three-stepped base.

The faces of the plinth are polished and the front face is inscribed with a dedication which reads THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED/ BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION/ IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THE MEN BELONGING TO/ BLUNTISHAM AND EARITH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1918. The other three sides of the plinth are inscribed with the names of the fallen of the First World War.

Further commemorative text at the base of the shaft reads 1939 - 1945/ (NAMES).

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 Bluntisham 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 34 local servicemen who fell during the First World War. 

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

The memorial was created in 1921 in the centre of a traffic island at the junction of Holliday's Road and Rectory Road. It was moved to its present location in the late 1980s after being hit by vehicles.

In 2007 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid.

Reasons for Listing

Bluntisham and Earith 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant and striking wheel-head cross in Cornish granite;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary opposite (Grade I).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478083

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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