Bideford War Memorial Cross, Bideford, Devon

Summary

First World War memorial cross in granite, unveiled 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The park is in the part of Bideford known as East-the-Water. The c7m tall, rough-hewn granite memorial cross stands at the highest point of the park, overlooking the River Torridge and the old town on the west bank of the river. It is c35m to the east of Chudleigh Fort (Grade II), the remains of a Civil War fortification re-built in the nineteenth-century.

The plain Latin cross rises from a tapering plinth, which stands on a deep granite step. That is raised on a concrete step. The dedications are recorded on the front face of the plinth, reading: THE FORT, DATING FROM THE 17TH CENTURY, WITH/ THE GROUND ADJOINING, WAS ACQUIRED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION AND PRESENTED TO THE TOWN AS/ A WAR MEMORIAL IN THE YEAR 1921./ THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918./ THE NAMES OF THE FALLEN ARE KEPT WITH THE BOROUGH RECORDS./
“LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND,/ WE FOR ENGLAND DIED.”/ AND 1939 – 1945.

The later bronze plaque is fixed to the front face of the cross shaft. Its inscription reads: 1939 – 1945/ IN HONOURED/ MEMORY/ OF THOSE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ AND/ DEEP GRATITUDE/ TO THOSE/ WHO SERVED FROM THE/ BOROUGH/ OF BIDEFORD.

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. 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.

Various different memorial schemes were devised according to the needs and wishes of each local community, some choosing to create an amenity such as a public hall or park. At Bideford, a scheme to lay out the site of Chudleigh Fort as a memorial park was decided as an appropriate way to commemorate the town’s losses in the First World War, whilst also providing an amenity for the future. The area had been enclosed with railings by early February 1921 and the War Memorial Committee members recommended that a cross be erected in the new park: the sum of £1,100 had been raised by public subscription and, after the purchase of the site and payments for the railings, £183 remained in hand.

The tall granite cross would cost £290, requiring further fundraising. Debate amongst Bideford Urban District Council members during the Summer of 1921 revealed some disagreement about the nature of the memorial, but the park was opened and its cross unveiled on 24 August that year. The complete scheme, costing £1,250, included the purchase of the Fort and just over two acres of land, the railings, the re-location of the entrance gates, and the cross, unveiled by the Mayor, Councillor JU Fulford.

The memorial commemorates 191 men, and two women, both serving in Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. It was dedicated by Archdeacon T Newton Leeke and the President of Bideford and District Free Church, Reverend WH Chamings. A plaque recording a dedication for the Second World War was added to the cross, commemorating the local service personnel who died in that conflict. The park railings have since been removed.

Reasons for Listing

Bideford War Memorial, which stands above Chudleigh Fort, 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;

Architectural interest:

* A prominently-sited and imposing granite memorial cross;

Group value:
* With the Grade II-listed Chudleigh Fort.

External Links

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