Summary
A First World War memorial, built around 1927; altered after the Second World War.
Description
A First World War memorial, built around 1927; altered after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: limestone, bronze.
DESCRIPTION: Pensnett War Memorial stands at the east side of the junction of High Street and Elgar Crescent. It is located in close proximity to the Grade II-listed Church of St Mark.
It consists of an ashlar pillar, triangular on plan, on a two-stepped hexagonal base. At the top of each face of the pillar is a Latin cross, carved in relief.
The east face of the pillar has a nowy-headed bronze plaque with wreath and shield detail bearing an inscription which reads THIS PILLAR / OF SACRIFICE / WAS RAISED TO THE MEMORY / OF THE SEVENTY FIVE / MEN OF PENSNETT WHO / ARE NUMBERED AMONG / THE ONE MILLION DEAD / OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT / WAR 1914 – 1918. THEY / DIED IN EVERY QUARTER / OF THE EARTH AND THEIR / GRAVES ARE MADE SURE / TO THEM BY THEIR KIN / THE MAIN HOST LIE / BURIED IN THE LANDS OF / OUR ALLIES OF THE WAR, / WHO HAVE SET ASIDE / THEIR RESTING PLACES IN / HONOUR FOR EVER: SOME / LIE IN THE CHURCHYARD / YONDER / THEIR NAME LIVETH / FOR EVERMORE. Two identical plaques list the names of the 75 servicemen who fell in the First World War.
Above the First World War dedicatory plaque is a bronze shield-shaped plaque which reads IN / GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF THE MEN OF THIS / PARISH WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES FOR / THEIR COUNTRY IN / THE WORLD WAR / 1939 – 45. Two further shield-shaped plaques list the names of the fallen from the Second World War, the second with a further small rectangular bronze plaque beneath with an additional name inscribed.
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 Pensnett as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 75 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
By 12 November 1927, Pensnett’s war memorial had not yet been erected due to a lack of public interest. Following an anonymous donation a committee was formed to carry out further fundraising so that the memorial could be built and the Ordnance Survey map for 1937 (1:2500) shows the memorial in situ by this time.
Following the Second World War the names of the fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Pensnett War Memorial is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* as 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:
* for its design, a well-executed column with good-quality bronze plaques.
Group value:
* with the Grade II-listed Church of St Mark.
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
London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
[(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)