Summary
First World War memorial, 1920.
Description
First World War memorial, 1920.
MATERIALS: constructed from Portland stone.
PLAN: the memorial is located on the east side of the A1065, south of the roundabout with the A134, originally a junction of five roads.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial consists of a column with simple mouldings at the base and capital, surmounted by a square tablet and a bronze crucifix. It stands on a square pedestal and base.
The plinth bears inscriptions in incised lettering. The principal, south-west face reads TO THOSE / FROM THE LYNFORD ESTATE / WHO FELL GLORIOUSLY / FOR THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918 / RIP. The other faces bear the names of those who fell in the conflict, and dedications to those lost subsequently.
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, meaning that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Mundford as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 18 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. These were men from the Lynford estate: Mundford, Cranwich, West Tofts and Lynford, and the memorial was gifted by Captain Frederick James Osbaldeston Montagu, of Lynford Hall. Captain Montagu had served in the Boer War in the Coldstream Guards and been awarded the Military Cross in the First World War. It was unveiled by Montagu, and dedicated by the local Rector, the Reverend AH Belderston, on Sunday 21 November 1920. Subsequent dedications were made to the two men who fell in the Second World War, and one who fell subsequently. The memorial was originally surrounded by a rustic fence and approached by a gravel path.
The memorial was cleaned and renovated in September 2014.
Reasons for Listing
Mundford War Memorial, 1920, 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:
* as an elegant and well-executed Portland stone column supporting a bronze crucifix.
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
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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