Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled on 14 November 1920.
Description
First World War memorial, 1920.
DESCRIPTION: Creeting St Peter War Memorial is located in the churchyard to the south of the Church of St Peter (Grade I-listed).
The memorial is of rough-hewn, grey Cornish granite and comprises a wheel-head cross rising from a tapering plinth, which surmounts a single-step stone base.
The inscriptions and names are in leaded lettering to the east face of the cross shaft and plinth, set within smooth recessed panels. The panel to the base of the shaft reads, TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN/ GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF, the inscription is then continued on the panel directly below to the plinth and reads, THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914-1919/ (6 NAMES)/ FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 27 February 2018.
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 Creeting St Peter as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the six members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 14 November 1920 by Lieutenant-Colonel Wylde.
Following the Second World War, a dedication to the two local servicemen who died in that conflict was recorded on a small granite flower vase placed in front of the memorial cross.
Reasons for Listing
Creeting St Peter War Memorial, which is situated in St Peter’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 the local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War.
Architectural interest:
* a well-executed wheel-head cross memorial carved from rough-hewn granite.
Group value:
* with the Grade I-listed Church of St Peter.
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
[(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)