Rishworth war memorial, Ripponden, Calderdale

Summary

First World War memorial, 1923, with the names of those killed in the Second World War added later. Stone of remembrance design.

Description

First World War memorial, 1923, with the names of those killed in the Second World War added later. Stone of remembrance design.

MATERIALS: local millstone grit sandstone.

Rishworth War Memorial is located on a triangular plot of land at the junction of Oldham Road and Rishworth New Road and takes the form of a stone of remembrance consisting of a solid un-polished block of millstone-grit sandstone hewn from a local quarry. The large block weighs over five tons and is set upon a large octagonal concrete base with chamfered edges surmounted by a planted rockery and wreath plinth of local millstone grit. Affixed to the east face of the memorial is a bronze plaque that reads 'IN MEMORY/OF THOSE WHO WENT FORTH/ FROM RISHWORTH TO/ THE GREAT WAR 1914-18,/ AND RETURNED NOT AGAIN' and records the names of the ten men of the village who lost their lives in the First World War. The plaque also bears a quotation from Lamentations 1:12 - 'Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?', all in relief lettering. A smaller bronze plaque below in the same style bears the dates '1939-1945', along with the names of the two men killed during the Second World War and the words 'For Peace and Freedom'. Surrounding the memorial is a stone path and rockery, behind which to the south, north and west sides are areas of planting. The memorial and surrounding planted areas are enclosed by a low snecked-stone wall to the front (east side) with flat-topped copings and square gate piers with two steps up onto the path surrounding the memorial. The wall was originally surmounted by railings, but these have since been removed, along with the original entrance gate(s). The wall continues around the south corner in a curve and then turns and heads north-west where it becomes a low wall of coursed rubblestone with upright copings with rounded tops. The north boundary wall belongs to a neighbouring property and does not form part of the memorial.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 10 November 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 Rishworth as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community. It was erected in 1923 and was donated by Mr J R H Wheelwright, Chairman of the Memorial Committee. The stone for the memorial came from a local quarry and the design was produced by Glendenning & Hanson of Halifax. The memorial was unveiled on 11 November 1923 by Brigadier-General Sir George Armytage of Kirklees Hall. The names of two men of the village killed during the Second World War were added at some point after 1945.

Reasons for Listing

Rishworth war memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* It has strong cultural and historic significance within both a local and national context, and is an eloquent witness to the impact of tragic world events on this local community and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* Its naturalistic stone of remembrance design, which utilises local stone, appropriately reflects its rural Pennine setting and it is a good example of a wayside memorial.

External Links

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