Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Cornish granite.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent roadside location at the northern edge of St Bartholomew's churchyard, fronting onto Fore Street. Part of the churchyard wall has been removed to create a three-sided, stone walled, open-fronted, paved enclosure in which the memorial stands.

The memorial comprises a simple wheel-head cross of Cornish granite set atop a tapering plinth and a three-stepped base.

The main inscription is in leaded lettering on the front (northern) face of the plinth and reads: TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF THE/ MEN OF THE PARISH WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918/ (18 NAMES IN TWO COLUMNS).

The front face of the upper step of the base bears the additional inscription: ALSO IN THE WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945/ (11 NAMES IN THREE COLUMNS).

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 Yealmpton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 18 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled on 17 July 1921 by Charles Williams MP and dedicated by the Reverend N N Lewarne.

The names of the 11 parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.

Reasons for Listing

Yealmpton War Memorial, which stands on Fore Street, 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 and elegant example of a wheel-head cross in Cornish granite standing in its enclosure.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Bartholomew (Grade II*).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q59503194

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

• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)