Summary
First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
The granite memorial cross stands beside a path in the churchyard of the Church of St Matthew (Grade II*), close to several Grade II-listed churchyard monuments. It comprises a plain rough-hewn Latin cross standing on a tapering rough-hewn plinth, with a two-stepped square base.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the plinth, in applied metal lettering, reads IN/ LOVING MEMORY OF THE BRAVE/ OFFICERS AND MEN OF ROWDE WHO/ FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919./ (NAMES)/ REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THEM WHO CAME NOT/ HOME FROM THE WAR.
The later Second World War inscription, to the right-hand face of the plinth, reads IN/ REMEMBRANCE OF/ THOSE WHO FELL IN THE WAR/ 1939-1945/ (NAMES).
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 Rowde as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 24 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial had been erected by 1922 when the Ordnance Survey County Series 1:2500 map sheet for the area, on which it appears, was revised. The names of nine parishioners who died during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
A stone plaque nearby, inset into the lawn, commemorates the death at sea of a Royal Navy sailor in 1940. A further stone plaque has been erected on a low plinth adjacent to the memorial cross. This records five additional First World War names not originally included on the memorial cross, and five members of the Devizes Boys' Brigade who died during the Second World War.
Reasons for Listing
Rowde War Memorial Cross, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Matthew, 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 simple yet poignant memorial cross in granite.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Matthew (Grade II*) and a number of Grade II-listed churchyard monuments.
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
London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)