Summary

First World War memorial, 1921.

Description

First World War memorial, 1921.

MATERIALS: sandstone; bronze.

DESCRIPTION: Kirkbride War Memorial is located in the churchyard of St Bride’s Church, Church Road, Kirkbride, Cumbria. It is prominently situated by the churchyard entrance near to the path leading to the church. It comprises a c.2.5m high sandstone wheel-head Celtic cross with elaborate relief knot work carvings to the head and tapering shaft. It is set upon a cruciform plinth with a two-stepped base. The plinth bears the First World War inscriptions in relief-carved lettering inside a shield-shaped cutaway ground. The Second World War inscriptions were added on a small brass plaque at the base of the shaft.

The inscription is carved in relief (the Second World War inscription added on a bronze plaque) and reads: TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF/ (NAMES)/ ALL YOU HAD YOU GAVE/ 1914 – 1918// 1939 – 1945/ IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ (NAMES)/ THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE.

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 Kirkbride as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Kirkbride War Memorial was situated within the churchyard. The memorial commemorates four local servicemen who fell in the First World War and five men who fell in the Second World War.

The memorial was designed by J H Martindale (1855-1931), FRIBA, who was a Carlisle-based architect who designed a number of other war memorials in Cumbria. He was principally active in church restorations, extensions and re-fittings as Diocesan surveyor for Carlisle, but also carried out works to other public and private buildings, predominantly in Cumbria.

The memorial was built by Messrs J and R Bell (builders) and unveiled on 21 October 1921 by Major A E Mifsud and dedicated by the Bishop of Carlisle.

Reasons for Listing

Kirkbride War Memorial, which is situated in St Bride’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 this local community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as an elaborate and well-executed sandstone Celtic cross with relief-carved decoration and lettering.

Group value:

* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Bride and the Scheduled Monument site of Kirkbride Roman fort.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q59510912

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.

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