Summary

War Memorial, unveiled 1919, in the form of a stone cross set on a plinth.

Description

Tall granite cross, with a sculpted Christ with INRI scroll. At the bottom of the shaft is the inscription: "THIS / HAVE I DONE / FOR THEE". This rests on a rectangular stone block, bearing the inscription: TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE / OF THE OFFICERS / NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN / OF THIS CHURCH AND DISTRICT / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 - 1919. This in turn rests on a much larger cuboid block, each side of which bears the names of the Fallen arranged by year, with another rectangular block bearing further names on the front, right and left faces. The whole rests on a stone platform standing in a small rockery bordered by grey stones.

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, 20 July 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 the country. 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 Southfields as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community. It was designed by Whitehead and Sons of Kennington, and was carved from a block of Cornwall granite at a cost of £240. The memorial was unveiled in a ceremony held on 4 October 1919; in attendance were Lieutenant-Colonel R Hue-Williams, the Bishop of Kingston upon Thames, soldiers from the Coldstream Guards and a large crowd of local residents. The vicar of the church, Reverend J Warren, commented thus: ‘So there it stands – this beautiful representation of the supreme sacrifice, with its silent but eloquent appeal to all who pass by.’

Reasons for Listing

Southfields 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 sacrifices they made in the First World War;
* Design: as a dignified and imposing stone cross war memorial.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478608

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)