Summary
First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: grey granite.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the churchyard, close to the Church of St Peter (Grade I).
The memorial comprises a rough-hewn wheel-head cross with a tapering plinth and single-stepped base. The memorial is carved from light grey granite and at its foot on its east face is an attached rectangular plaque.
The main inscription in leaded lettering reads: IN MEMORY OF THE WESTON MEN/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919. The names of the 14 men who fell are on the three other faces of the plinth.
An attached rectangular plaque at the foot of the east face of the memorial bears the names of four 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. One such memorial was raised at Weston 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 memorial was unveiled in 1920.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Weston War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Peter, 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 a simple yet evocative granite wheel-head cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Peter (Grade I).
External Links
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Recommended Books
Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)