Summary
War memorial. Erected, following the First World War, in 1920 by the stonemasons Messrs Perfitt of Diss.
Description
War memorial. Erected, following the First World War, in 1920 by the stonemasons Messrs Perfitt of Diss.
MATERIALS: carved from stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is situated in the burial ground to the south of Church Street and the Church of St Michael (Grade II*-listed). It comprises a tall elongated Latin stone cross with a tapering octagonal shaft. The shaft stands on an octagonal plinth, itself resting on a two-stepped octagonal base. On the front (north-east) face of the plinth is the inscription in leaded lettering: TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD,/ AND IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THIS/ PARISH, WHO FELL/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914–1918. The names of 15 members of the community who lost their lives are inscribed on the north and east faces of the plinth.
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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Occold in the burial ground to the south of Church Street and the Church of St Michael (Grade II*-listed, List Entry 1352447). It serves as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives during the First World War. The design for the memorial was derived from the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield’s ‘Cross of Sacrifice’ for the Imperial War Graves Commission. Variations on Blomfield’s design appeared in stone masons catalogues and were chosen for local war memorials across England. It was erected by the stonemasons Messrs Perfitt of Diss and unveiled by Lord Henniker during a memorial ceremony on Sunday 28 November 1920.
Reasons for Listing
Occold War Memorial, erected in 1920 in the burial ground south of Church Street, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made during the First World War;
Architectural interest:
* as a well-crafted memorial broadly derived from the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield’s ‘Cross of Sacrifice’ for the Imperial War Graves Commission;
Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed former Church of St Michael.
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.
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