Summary
First World War memorial, 1919, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial, 1919, with later additions for the Second World War.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent position at the north-east corner of the churchyard, on the crossroads at the centre of the village, close to the Church of St Peter (Grade II*) and a medieval churchyard cross (Grade II).
The memorial comprises a floriated stone Latin cross on a tapering octagonal shaft, substantial square plinth and three-stepped octagonal base.
The main inscription in incised lettering on the west face of the plinth reads: IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO MADE THE/ SUPREME SACRIFICE/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ 1914 – 1918/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE/. The names of the First World War fallen are listed on the other three faces of the plinth.
On the western face of the upper step of the base is the additional inscription: 1939 – 1945. The names of the fallen are listed on the two adjacent faces of the upper step.
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 Lugwardine as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 27 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled in March 1919. It was originally located at the junction of Ledbury Road, A438 and Lumber Lane and moved for traffic reasons to its current position in the late C20/early C21.
The names of five parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Lugwardine 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 tall, elegant and well-executed stone cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Peter (Grade II*) a medieval churchyard cross (Grade II) and Porch House (Grade II).
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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