Summary
First World War memorial cross.
Description
First World War memorial cross, situated within churchyard of St Mary in Ewshot.
MATERIALS: granite.
DESCRIPTION: rough-hewn wheel cross with a sword of sacrifice relief on the front face set on a square plinth and base. The plinth bears an inscription, which reads: "TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN MEMORY OF THE / OFFICERS AND N.C.Os. AND MEN / OF THIS PARISH WHO LAID / DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE / GREAT WAR. / 1914–1918." The names of the fallen are recorded on the other faces of the plinth.
History
The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Prior to then 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, which was 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 Ewshot memorial cross is one such First World War memorial which records the names of 18 of the fallen from the conflict. The monument is situated within the churchyard of the Church of St Mary, which was built in 1873 to the designs of John Oldrid Scott (1841-1913). It is unknown when the memorial at Ewshot was erected, but it does appear on the Hampshire Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1932 (1:1,250). Unlike most First World War memorials, it has not been updated to include the names of the fallen from the Second World War (the names of those who fell in this conflict being recorded on a separate memorial plaque within the Church of St Mary).
Reasons for Listing
The Ewshot War Memorial, positioned adjacent to the Church of St Mary, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifices it made in the First World War;
Architectural interest:
* as a well-composed granite wheel-cross memorial with original inscriptions.
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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