Summary
First World War memorial with Second World War additions, 1920.
Description
First World War memorial with Second World War additions, 1920.
MATERIALS: Portland stone.
The memorial is situated within a small enclosure immediately within the grounds of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Patrick. It takes the form of a carved, pedimented crucifix rising from a rectangular classical plinth set upon a low, square base. The dedication is inscribed on a slate panel fixed to the centre of the plinth and reads:
ERECTED/TO THE MEN /OF THIS/ PARISH/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR/ COUNTRY/IN THE/ GREAT WAR.
Beneath is a depiction of an Alisee Patee cross and the inscription:
ETERNAL/REST GRANT/UNTO THEM/O’LORD/AND LET/PERPETUAL/LIGHT SHINE/UPON THEM.
The 29 names of the First World War Fallen and the 13 names of the Second World War Fallen are carried on slate panels fixed to the right and left in single columns listed by surname and date of death. Slate panels have also been added to the base, to which a small stone urn is fixed in front of the right panel.
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, 1 September 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 this example, erected 1920 in the churchyard of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Patrick, Walton-le-Dale. Archive photographs indicate that the dedication and names of the Fallen are inscribed in incised lettering directly onto the stone faces of the pedestal and the upper surface of the base. The present slate panels recording the dedication and names are therefore recent additions.
Reasons for Listing
Walton-le-Dale War Memorial, erected 1920, 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:
* A well-crafted design in the form of a pedimented crucifix, executed in quality Portland stone;
Group value:
* With the adjacent Grade II listed Church of Our Lady and St Patrick (NHLE 1074107).
External Links
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
Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)