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Latitude: 52.1065 / 52°6'23"N
Longitude: 1.3337 / 1°20'1"E
OS Eastings: 628389
OS Northings: 250598
OS Grid: TM283505
Mapcode National: GBR WQ0.VC0
Mapcode Global: VHLBQ.29FZ
Plus Code: 9F43484M+JF
Entry Name: Melton War Memorial
Listing Date: 30 January 2020
Grade: II
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1468103
ID on this website: 101468103
Location: Melton, East Suffolk, IP12
County: Suffolk
District: East Suffolk
Civil Parish: Melton
Built-Up Area: Woodbridge
Traditional County: Suffolk
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Suffolk
Tagged with: War memorial
War memorial, erected in 1920.
War memorial, erected in 1920.
MATERIALS: roughly-hewn granite, with inscriptions in lead lettering.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a Celtic wheel-cross decorated with raised roundels to the arms and centre, and stands on a tapered square plinth with a moulded top. The whole stands on a square base. There are recessed inscription panels to each side of the plinth. The main inscription to the front (south) face of the plinth reads:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND / TO THE UNDYING MEMORY / OF / THE MEN OF THIS PARISH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR/ KING AND COUNTRY / IN / 1914 - THE GREAT WAR – 1919 / "LEST WE FORGET"
The names of the 44 men who died are listed on the other three faces of the plinth.
The great age of memorial building was in the aftermath of the First World War 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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
Melton War Memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Andrew and commemorates 44 parishioners who died during the First World War. It was sculpted by Alexander MacDonald & Co Ltd and unveiled on 1 February 1920 by Major JEE Bowring.
Melton War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as a well-realised and accomplished design in the form of a Celtic wheel-cross.
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Andrew (Grade II), the lamp standard by the churchyard gate (Grade II) and the churchyard wall, gate piers and gates (Grade II), as well as several other listed buildings.
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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