Summary

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

Description

The memorial is located on Monken Hadley Common and comprises a tall stone cross, rising from a three-stepped base. The front of the cross and top section of the shaft are richly decorated with Celtic-style floral carvings. Within this is a shield which once bore the inscription TO THE EVER GLORIOUS MEMORY OF OUR MEN WHO FELL IN THE WAR, 1914 - 1919, however this is now so eroded as to be illegible. The rest of the shaft bears the names of the Fallen.

On the front face of the second step of the base is a modern metal plaque reading MONKEN HADLEY WAR MEMORIAL / IN PROUD MEMORY OF ALL THOSE / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN / 1914 - 1918 AND 1939 - 1945.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 6 June 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 in Monken Hadley on the Common 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 cost £300 and was designed by Mr Callard, apparently inspired by a C15 market cross in Inverary, Argyll, Scotland. It was unveiled by Lt Col F E Fremantle, OBE, TD, MP on 19 December 1920. The original inscription faded over time, and an explanatory metal plaque was added to the memorial sometime in the late C20.

Reasons for Listing

Monken Hadley 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: as a simple yet attractive stone cross war memorial.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Monken Hadley War Memorial at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q27628300

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5