Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 1922, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
The tall war memorial stands inside the entrance to Eastwood Park, aligned with the park gates (unlisted). It comprises a sculpture in white marble of a uniformed infantryman, standing in front of a tree stump, holding the muzzle of his grounded rifle. Wearing a cap rather than a helmet, the soldier has a pack, and other equipment hangs from his belt. The figure stands on the two-stage moulded cap of a tall white marble pedestal, square on plan. The moulded pedestal foot stands on a two-stepped sandstone base.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the pedestal reads 1914 – 1918/ TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PART/ OF THE TOWNSHIP OF HASLAND/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE CAUSE OF/ GOD, KING AND COUNTRY./ THEIR DEEDS LIVE AFTER THEM./ FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. The commemorated First World War names are listed alphabetically on the other three faces.
A white marble stone placed in front of the plinth, on the uppermost base step, carries the inscription 1939 – 1945/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM/ (NAMES).
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 Hasland as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
On 26 September 1921 a committee was set up to determine an appropriate war memorial for the Hasland area and to raise funds through public subscription. In April 1922 the Hasland Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial Committee applied to erect a memorial in Eastwood Park, just inside the main gates in a former circular garden plot. Allsop of Eyre Street, Hasland Green, was commissioned to produce a sculpture of an infantryman for the memorial.
The memorial was unveiled by the Mayor of Chesterfield, Alderman W Rhodes, on 24 September 1922 and the dedication was performed by the rector of Hasland, Reverend WV Davies. It commemorates 84 local servicemen who died in the First World War. The names of a further 32 local men who died in the Second World War were added in 1954.
Reasons for Listing
Hasland War Memorial, which stands in Eastwood Park, 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 striking marble monument incorporating the statue of a uniformed and equipped infantryman, making a strong visual composition with the framing gates and gate piers of Eastwood Park.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)