Summary
War memorial, erected around 1920. Designed by W H Gardiner of Evesham.
Description
War memorial, erected around 1920. Designed by W H Gardiner of Evesham.
MATERIALS: carved from limestone.
DESCRIPTION: located within the churchyard of the Church of St Mary and St Milburgh (Grade II*), the war memorial comprises a small wheel cross on top of an obelisk that has raised tapered panels with convex corners. The square pedestal comprises the dado and a two-tier plinth. To each of the four sides of the dado is a raised square panel with convex corners to the top, and set beneath carved hood moulds with hemi-spherical heads. The whole is surmounted on a three-stepped stone platform. The inscription on the east face of the dado reads:
IN MEMORY / OF THE OFFENHAM MEN / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / SERVING THEIR COUNTRY / DURING THE GREAT WARS / 1914 – 1919 / 1939 – 1945 / GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS 1 ST JOHN XV 13.
Beneath, on the top tier of the plinth, is the dedication LEST WE FORGET.
The other three sides of the dado record the names of the 19 men of the parish who died in the First World War. On the west face have been added the names of the five men who died in the Second World War.
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.
It is not known when the war memorial at Offenham was erected and commemorated, but it was likely to be during the 1920s. It was designed by W H Gardiner of Evesham and was built at a cost of £175, raised by public subscription.
The memorial commemorates 19 local servicemen who died during the First World War. The names of five men were added following the Second World War.
Reasons for Listing
Offenham war memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an accomplished and well-realised stone war memorial with good attention to decorative detailing that demonstrates the quality of the craftsmanship.
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.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Mary and St Milburgh (Grade II*).
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
Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)