Framlingham War Memorial, Framlingham, Suffolk

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1921, with Second World War and later additions. It was designed by Harold Hopper ARIBA of Ipswich and sculpted by George Dale Jnr of Framlingham.

Description

First World War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1921, with Second World War and later additions. It was designed by Harold Hopper ARIBA of Ipswich and sculpted by George Dale Jnr of Framlingham

MATERIALS: of Portland stone.

PLAN: it is square on plan.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in St Michael’s Churchyard, around 11m to the south-east of the south door. It comprises a two-stepped base, a square plinth with inscriptions on all four sides and a tall shaft which tapers in octagonal section to a Latin cross head. On the north-east face is a relief carving of the Sword of Sacrifice.

The plinth's north-east face contains the main dedicatory inscription, which was re-cut after the Second World War, along with the names of 23 men and women who died during the latter conflict. It reads 'ERECTED BY / THE PARISH OF FRAMLINGHAM / IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF HER CHILDREN / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN / THE GREAT WARS / 1939 – 1945 / [Names] / GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS'. The north-west and south-east faces are inscribed '1914 - 1918', each with 34 names, while the south-west face records the name of a further 20 who died during the First World War.

The memorial stands on a contemporary raised gravel bed which is square and defined by a Portland stone kerb. Placed around it after the Second World War is a flower bed and flagged footpath.

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, 15 January 2018.

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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

Framlingham’s War Memorial Committee initially suggested that a memorial in the form of a bronze figure on a pedestal should be raised on Market Hill. However, this was abandoned due to a lack of public support. A public meeting of some 50 residents then took place on 28 April 1919 to further consider what form the Framlingham War Memorial should take. The four proposals which were put forward included the erection of a free-standing monument, the re-erection of the Market Cross, the construction of a new waterworks and the laying out of a public recreation ground. Although the majority voted in favour of having a recreation ground as a permanent memorial, this scheme was also scrapped due to a lack of public support. Framlingham’s war memorial problem was finally resolved at a meeting in January 1920 when it was decided to erect a cross in St Michael’s churchyard. Taking the form of a Latin cross, it was unveiled and dedicated on 30 March 1921. The cost of the work by local stonemason George Dale Jnr was £320, with the total cost, including the expenses of the architect Harold Hooper ARIBA (1886-1953), coming to £417. As the sum of £438 had been raised by public subscription, the surplus went to providing a book of remembrance in the church. The names of the 68 local men were inscribed on the north-west and south-east faces of the plinth while the dedication on the north-east face read 'TO / OUR GLORIOUS DEAD/ ERECTED BY / THE PARISH OF FRAMLINGHAM/ IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF HER SONS / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN / THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS.' The south-west face was left blank.

In October 1947 the Framlingham War Memorial Committee resolved to make a public appeal towards having the names of the Second World War fallen added to the First World War memorial, and to provide a path and flower bed surrounding the memorial. In order to take the additional names the original dedicatory inscription on the plinth’s north-east face was largely ground out and re-inscribed.

In around 2000 the names of three other local service men and one women who lost their lives in the second half of the C20 were inscribed on the plinth's south-west face. In 2014 the names of twenty ‘forgotten’ First World War soldiers were also inscribed on the plinth's south-west face.

Reasons for Listing

Framlingham War Memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1921, with Second World War and later additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* As an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a Latin cross with a relief carving of the Sword of Sacrifice atop a square plinth:

Historic interest:

* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20:

Group value:

* With the Grade I-listed Church of St Michael, the Grade II-listed gate piers and railings at the eastern entrance to the churchyard, the four Grade II-listed bollards at the south-west corner of the churchyard, the former Grade II-listed rectory (now flats) to the north-west and the Grade II-listed wall that forms part of the south-west boundary of the churchyard.

External Links

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