Summary
First World War memorial with a Second World War addition.
Description
First World War memorial with a Second World War addition.
DESCRIPTION: The Collingbourne Ducis war memorial is located on a green at the north side of the main road through the village, immediately opposite the Grade II*-listed Church of St Andrew and the Grade II-listed Court Farmhouse.
It takes the form of a granite wheel-head cross with a tall, tapering, shaft rising from a four-sided, tapering plinth. This surmounts a chamfered, rectangular base. The plinth carries the inscriptions and names in incised lettering, painted black.
The principal inscription is to the east face of the plinth and reads IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN/ FROM THIS PARISH WHO DID/ THEIR DUTY EVEN UNTO DEATH/ ON BEHALF OF/ THEIR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918.
The west face of the plinth carries the inscription THESE DIED IN WAR THAT WE/ AT PEACE MIGHT LIVE/ THESE GAVE THEIR BEST SO WE/ OUR BEST SHOULD GIVE/ NOT FOR THEMSELVES/ FOR JUSTICE, FREEDOM, RIGHT/ THEY FOUGHT, AND BID US FORWARD/ TO THE FIGHT/ SEE YE TO IT THAT THESE/ SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN.
The south face of the plinth records the 11 names of those who fell during the First World War, including their rank and regiment.
The dates 1939-1945 have been added to the upper surface of the south face of the plinth along with the name of the one individual from the parish who died in the Second World War.
The memorial stands on a large flagstone set into the ground and the whole is enclosed by a low metal fence.
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 Collingbourne Ducis as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 11 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was presumably erected not long after the end of the conflict, and was in situ by the Ordnance Survey County Series 25in map published in 1924.
The name of the parishioner who died in the Second World War was subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Collingbourne Ducis War Memorial, which is situated on Memorial Green, Church Street, 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 well-executed wheel-head cross memorial.
Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Andrew and the Grade II-listed Court Farmhouse.
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
Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Old House Care and Repair
Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)