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Latitude: 51.1984 / 51°11'54"N
Longitude: -1.9015 / 1°54'5"W
OS Eastings: 406978
OS Northings: 144361
OS Grid: SU069443
Mapcode National: GBR 3Y7.S2Q
Mapcode Global: VHB59.043M
Plus Code: 9C3W53XX+9C
Entry Name: Shrewton War Memorial
Listing Date: 6 February 2018
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1451849
ID on this website: 101451849
Location: St Mary's Church, Maddington, Wiltshire, SP3
County: Wiltshire
Civil Parish: Shrewton
Built-Up Area: Shrewton
Traditional County: Wiltshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Wiltshire
Tagged with: War memorial
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.
The memorial stands inside the churchyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin (Grade II*-listed) beside the cast-iron entrance gate and railings, within close proximity of churchyard monuments and opposite Church House all Grade II-listed.
The stone memorial comprises a Latin cross rising from a moulded collar on a tapering octagonal shaft. The cross shaft stands on a square plinth with chamfered shoulders, on a two-stepped square base.
The main inscription in relief-carved Gothic lettering on the front face of the plinth reads OUR/ GALLANT DEAD/ A:D 1914-1918, with a further inscription in similar script on the upper step reading 1939-1945.
On the rear face of the plinth is an incised and black-painted inscription which reads PEACE BE UPON THEM/ AND MERCY. The names of the dead are incised into the side faces of the plinth and the upper step of the base.
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 Shrewton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 22 men and one woman, Nurse Daisy V Dimmer (d1918), from the local community who lost their lives in service during the First World War. The names of 17 parishioners who died during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Shrewton War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard, 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;
* the Roll of Honour is unusual as it includes the name of a female casualty, Nurse DV Dimmer.
Architectural interest:
* an elegant war memorial cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*), its gate and railings (Grade II) and nearby Grade II-listed churchyard monuments and Church House.
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.
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