Summary
A war memorial of 1921 by Robert Bridgeman and Sons of Lichfield, with a statue of an infantryman in mourning pose and constructed with Portland stone.
Description
A war memorial of 1921 by Robert Bridgeman and Sons of Lichfield.
MATERIALS: constructed of Whitbed Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: a gabled Calvary cross with a square tapering shaft and plinth, surmounting a two-stepped octagonal base. The north face of the plinth is recessed to accommodate a statue of an infantryman standing in mourning pose with his rifle reversed.
On the east side of the north face of the plinth is the incised inscription HERE/ BENEATH/ THE SHADOW/ OF THE/ CROSS/ BEHOLD THE/ NAMES OF/ OUR BRETHREN/ OF FORSBROOK/ AND BLYTHE BRIDGE/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ &/ 1939-1945. The west side of the north face reads LET/ FUTURE/ GENERATIONS/ KEEP THEM/ IN PRAYERFUL/ REMEMBRANCE/ GIVING UNTO/ GOD/ THE THANKS/ FOR THEIR/ GREAT SACRIFICE/ MAY/ THEY/ REST IN/ PEACE. The names of the fallen from both world wars are inscribed on the east and west faces of the plinth. The north face of the top step of the base reads FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
The memorial is enclosed by stone kerbing and set within the car park adjacent to the church.
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. Forsbrook and Blythe Bridge War Memorial was unveiled on 6 November 1921 by Colonel JV Campbell and dedicated by the Reverend GH Hewitt, Vicar of Cobridge as a testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives in the conflict. It cost £350 and was designed by Robert Bridgeman and Sons of Lichfield, who were responsible for a number of other war memorials including the Men of Lichfield War Memorial and the 29th Division War Memorial at Stretton-on-Dunsmore (both listed at Grade II*).
A further two First World War names have been added to the memorial and following the Second World War the names of 11 fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial, including the name of one woman, Florence Jones. The plot on which the memorial stands was originally a grassed area in front of the vicarage and was developed into a car park in the later C20.
Reasons for Listing
The Forsbrook and Blythe Bridge War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* it is an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* it is a well-constructed war memorial in Portland stone with a well-detailed Calvary Cross and a statue of an infantryman in mourning pose.
External Links
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Recommended Books
[(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)