St Katharine's Church War Memorial, Holt, Holt, Wiltshire

Summary

First World War memorial.

Description

First World War memorial.

DESCRIPTION: The war memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Katharine (Grade II*-listed), at the junction of the southern wall of the tower and the western wall of the south aisle. The churchyard also contains various Grade II-listed monuments.

It is of white marble and takes the form of a Latin cross rising from a three-stepped, square base. The cross is adorned with a sword in its scabbard and belt, all carved in relief and sculpted to appear as though they are hung on the cross. Incised to the foot of the cross are the letters R.I.P. Resting on the upper step of the base is a sculpted depiction of a Wiltshire Regiment military cap propped against the cross. A tablet carved in the shape of a scroll abuts the bottom step of the base at an angle.

The inscription and names are to the south-west face of the base and stone tablet in leaded lettering, painted black. The upper step of the base carries the dedication TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN LOVE AND HONOUR/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ MY BELOVED NEPHEW. Directly below to the middle step are the words HAROLD FRANK BARCLAY TURNER./ CAPT. 1ST WILTS REGT./ KILLED WHILST ON ACTIVE SERVICE./ SEPT 1ST 1917 AGED 22 YRS./ LAID TO REST IN YPRES./ "IT IS JUST A STREAM DIVIDES US./ AND THE LAND ON BOTH SIDES IS GOD'S". To the left of the inscription is an incised depiction of the Wiltshire Regiment badge in a circular inset panel. To the bottom step is the inscription ERECTED BY HIS AUNT. H. M. BARCLAY.

The tablet at the foot of the memorial carries the following dedication ROLL OF HONOUR. HOLT. 1914–1918./ "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE"./ (28 NAMES)/ "WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT WE MAY LIVE."

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The whole memorial stands on a bed of rough-dressed stone carved to resemble a rocky outcrop. It is enclosed by four iron corner posts, surmounted by fleur-de-lys finials, and joined by a metal bar with decorative twists; the bar that forms the south-west boundary also has a cast metal depiction of the Wiltshire Regiment badge to the centre.

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.

A memorial was erected in St Katharine’s churchyard, Holt, in memory of Captain Harold Frank Barclay Turner of the Wiltshire Regiment. It was erected by his aunt, Helen Barclay of Holt Manor. Captain Turner died of his wounds at the age of 22 years on 1 September 1917 having been badly wounded at Ypres by an enemy sniper.

A tablet was placed at the base of the memorial acting as a Roll of Honour and carries the dedication and the names of the 28 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Reasons for Listing

St Katharine’s Church War Memorial, Holt, which is situated in St Katharine’s 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 an individual family and the local community, and the sacrifice they made in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* an elegant Latin cross memorial which utilises high quality materials and demonstrates fine craftsmanship in the sculptural depictions of the military cap and sword and the scroll tablet.

Group value:

* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Katharine and the Grade II-listed monuments in the churchyard.

External Links

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