Summary
A First World War memorial, erected in about 1920; further names added after the Second World War.
Description
A First World War memorial, erected in about 1920; further names added after the Second World War.
MATERIALS
Granite.
DESCRIPTION
The memorial, approximately 3.3m tall, takes the form of a roughly-hewn wheel-head cross with a tapering shaft, rising from a square plinth, set on a single-stepped square platform. The plinth is inscribed: IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN BATTLE/ 1914 1918/ (NAMES)/ 1939 - 1945/ (NAMES)/ LEST WE FORGET. This is replicated on the separate, upright plaque installed at the foot of the memorial.
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 Marsham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 17 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was altered after the Second World War to include the names of six servicemen who died in that conflict.
In the early C21, a polished granite plaque was installed at the foot of the memorial, replicating the inscriptions.
Reasons for Listing
The war memorial in Marsham 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 church’s community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* for its design, a simple but dignified wheel head cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of All Saints (Grade II), in whose churchyard it stands.
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: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)