Summary
A First World War memorial, dating from about 1920.
Description
A First World War memorial, dating from about 1920.
MATERIALS: stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is set back from the road and stands in a small enclosure bounded by iron railings, which is reached via a small flight of steps. The memorial itself takes the form of a Celtic-style wheel head cross, of rough-hewn stone with a carved sword down the centre. It stands atop a two-stepped plinth.
INSCRIPTION: the plinths bear inscriptions which read: IN EVER THANKFUL MEMORY/ OF MERCIES VOUCHSAFED BY ALMIGHTY GOD/ WHEREBY OF THE FORTY FOUR MEN/ FROM THE PARISHES OF/ BOCKLETON AND HAMPTON CHARLES/ WHO SERVED IN THE IMPERIAL FORCES IN 1914-1918/ THIRTY NINE REMAINED ALIVE/ THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF/ THE TWO PARISHES BY WHOM ALSO A TABLET BEARING THE/ NAMES OF THOSE WHO FELL WAS PLACED IN THE CHURCH.
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, 25 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. One such memorial was raised at Bockleton, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
This war memorial was erected after the First World War, as part of the great wave of commemoration of the fallen that took place across the country, and commemorates those who died from the parishes of Bockleton and Hampton Charles. It was set up in a prominent position at the edge of the village, in a small enclosure. At the same time, a tablet was installed in the Parish Church of St Michael in Bockleton which records the names of the fallen.
Reasons for Listing
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
Bockleton War Memorial, erected in about 1920, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* A dignified and sombre stone memorial, neatly made and well-proportioned.
Historic interest:
* An eloquent witness to the tragic impact on the local community of the events of the First World War.
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
Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
England's Post-War Listed Buildings
[(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)