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Latitude: 51.6026 / 51°36'9"N
Longitude: -1.2467 / 1°14'48"W
OS Eastings: 452269
OS Northings: 189574
OS Grid: SU522895
Mapcode National: GBR 90W.HM4
Mapcode Global: VHCYF.BZSB
Plus Code: 9C3WJQ33+28
Entry Name: Northbourne War Memorial
Listing Date: 3 November 2016
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1439201
ID on this website: 101439201
Location: St Peter's Church, Didcot, South Oxfordshire, OX11
County: Oxfordshire
District: South Oxfordshire
Civil Parish: Didcot
Built-Up Area: Didcot
Traditional County: Berkshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Oxfordshire
Church of England Parish: Didcot St Peter
Church of England Diocese: Oxford
Tagged with: War memorial
First World War memorial unveiled on 15 May 1921.
MATERIALS: rough-hewn Cornish granite.
DESCRIPTION: Northbourne War Memorial stands in the Garden of Rest at St Peter's Church. It consists of a wheel-head cross on a tapering shaft on a three-stepped square base.
The top tier of the base is inscribed: IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF. This inscription continues onto the second tier which reads: THE MEN OF NORTHBOURNE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919. The other faces are inscribed with the names of the fallen.
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever, with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country, 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 Northbourne as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Northbourne War Memorial was unveiled and dedicated on 15 May 1921 by the vicar of East Hagbourne, Rev H A Smith-Masters, to the ten local servicemen who fell in the First World War. It was originally sited outside the former St Peter's Church on Church Street.
In 2001 a project was undertaken to secure the foundations with the help of grant funding from the War Memorials Trust. Following the work, the memorial was re-dedicated on 15 May 2001.
Northbourne 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 Cornish granite wheel-head cross.
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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