Summary

First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Granite wheel cross with lead lettering.

DESCRIPTION: Normandy war memorial is located on the north side of Guildford Road, at the junction with Hunts Hill Road. It comprises a tall granite wheel-head cross rising from a tapering plinth, square on plan, with a two-stepped base. The inscriptions are in metal lettering painted black, located on the plinth and steps.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF/ THE INHABITANTS OF WYKE AND NORMANDY/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ “WHO DIES IF ENGLAND LIVE”/ (NAMES). The two side faces of the plinth carry further names: those that served in the Royal Navy and Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment are grouped together, whilst the remaining soldiers of other regiments and corps are recorded together.

The front face of the top step is inscribed THE ROLL OF HONOUR OF WYKE AND NORMANDY PARISH/ 1939 – 1945, with the commemorated Second World War names recorded on the front face of the lower step and the sides of both steps.

The memorial stands in a small area of crazy-paving, enclosed by posts carrying a chain.

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 Normandy as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 35 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The plot of land on which the memorial stands was leased from the War Office by the Parish Council in 1921, and the memorial had been erected before 1923 (in which year a local newspaper reported on a commemorative service marking the anniversary of its unveiling).

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the 21 local servicemen who died in that conflict. In 2015 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Wyke and Normandy War Memorial, which stands at the junction of Guildford Road and Hunts Hill Road, 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 tall and imposing granite wheel-head war memorial in the Celtic style, in the manner of a wayside cross.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66479269

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

• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)