Summary
First World War memorial, erected after the First World War; altered after the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial, erected after the First World War; altered after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: granite.
DESCRIPTION: the war memorial is located on the site of the Manorial pound, now a raised gravelled area surrounded by a low granite wall, in the heart of Stoke Climsland and to the north-west of the parish church (Grade II*). The memorial comprises a two-step square base surmounted by a cube plinth with a moulded cornice, above which is a further plinth and a square-section tapering shaft and simple Celtic cross head. The shaft’s plinth is inscribed in black lettering: SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF / THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS NCOS & MEN / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918, with the names inscribed on the principal face of the square plinth below, followed by the inscription: GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN / LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS. The names of the 10 men who fell in the Second World War are inscribed under the dates 1939-1945 on a granite tablet in the shape of an open book at the foot of the memorial.
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 750,000 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 Stoke Climsland, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The war memorial at Stoke Climsland commemorates the 37 parishioners from Stoke Climsland Parish who served in the First World War and did not return. Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the 10 men who fell in that conflict.
Reasons for Listing
Stoke Climsland 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:
* for its design, a neatly-made cross.
Group value:
* with the surrounding Grade II-listed buildings, and the Grade II*-listed parish church.
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
The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)