Summary
First World War memorial with later additions.
Description
A village war memorial of about 1920 with additions and alterations made after 1945.
The memorial is set on the south-eastern corner of a staggered cross roads at the heart of the village and opposite the church of St Gomonda (Grade II).
DESCRIPTION: of rock-hewn granite with inset metal lettering. The memorial is a cross with wheel head, a tapered shaft and base and a platform of two steps.
Both the wheel head and tapered shaft have panels of Celtic ornament in relief, with a circular boss at the centre of the head. The tapered base is inscribed 'TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH / WHO / LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 - 1918'. Names of the Fallen are recorded on the sides of the base. Below this, the top step of the plinth is inscribed '1938 - 1945' with the names of the dead below, including a later addition given on the lower step.
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 the country. 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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
The war memorial at Roche appears to date from around 1920, with additions and alterations made after 1945.
Reasons for Listing
Roche War Memorial 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:
* as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial, which takes the form of a granite cross on a tapered shaft with stepped base and railed enclosure.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Gomonda (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
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)