Summary
First World War memorial with names added following the Second World War
Description
First World War memorial with names added following the Second World War
MATERIALS: granite.
PLAN: the memorial stands outside the south door of the Grade I listed Church of St George.
EXTERIOR: it is in the form of a slender cross with an octagonal shaft and a stylised relief carving of a four-petal flower at the junction of the arms. The cross rests on a bell-shaped base which is supported by an octagonal plinth. On sides one, two and eight the following words are inscribed: 1914 - 1918/ REMEMBER/ (NAMES)/ JESU MERCY. On side seven these words are inscribed: 1939 - 1945/ JOHN THOMAS PRIESTLY R N/ DEC 19TH 1941.
History
The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Previously, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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.
The war memorial in Barton in Fabis was erected to commemorate those men from the village who fell during the First World War. The name of the man who died in the Second World War was added later.
Reasons for Listing
Barton in Fabis War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* it is a well-detailed war memorial in the form of a churchyard cross.
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.
Group value:
* it has group value with the adjacent Grade I listed Church of St George, along with the wall and gate to the churchyard, and the rectory to the south-west, which are both listed at 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.
Recommended Books
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
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Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)