Summary
War memorial cross, 1921.
Description
War memorial cross, 1921.
MATERIALS: the memorial is constructed from grey granite.
PLAN: prominently positioned on the village green.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a plain Latin cross surmounted upon a tapering octagonal shaft on a square plinth, with a substantial four-stepped square base.
The main inscription in leaded lettering is on the north-east face of the plinth; it reads: ‘IN GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF / THE MEN OF THIS / PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR / LIVES FOR US DURING THE GREAT WAR / 1914 TO 1918’ followed by the 12 names of the fallen parishioners on the upper step of the base.
An additional inscription on the south-east face reads: ‘1939-1945’, followed by 11 names.
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 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 Thurlestone as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
It was constructed by Messrs W Osborne and Sons of Sticklepath, Okehampton, to the design prepared by the rector, Reverend F E Coope, based on a C15 village cross at South Zeal (listed Grade II*, NHLE ref 1106010). The memorial was unveiled by General Alexander V C and dedicated by the rector, Reverend F E Coope, and the Wesleyan minister, Reverend S R Hicks, on Thursday 22 September 1921.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Thurleston War Memorial, 1921, 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* a well-executed and unaltered example of a Celtic wheel-cross type of memorial, designed by the local rector and based on a medieval cross.
Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of All Saints.
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)
The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)