Summary
First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions.
Description
First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions.
MATERIALS: constructed from Cornish granite.
PLAN: located in the middle of the cemetery, at the intersection of the principal axial pathways.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is a 1.5m tall monolith of roughly-hewn granite, with a squat granite plinth and limestone base. The western face has a carved scroll containing the main inscription in leaded letters: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN / OF THIS PARISH IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918’, followed by the names of the 46 local men who died in the conflict. The plinth is inscribed: ‘THIS MEMORIAL AND LYCH GATE ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS’. A small flower vase set at the foot of the memorial bears the words: ‘AT REST’.
On the rear of the monolith is a dressed area of stone inscribed: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN MEMORY OF’, followed by ten names, and ‘1939-1945’.
The memorial stands on an earth mound and is surrounded by concrete bollards linked by chains.
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: memorials, therefore, provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
Two such memorials were raised in St John the Baptist's Cemetery at Needham Market as permanent testaments to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. In the middle of the cemetery is a free standing stone monolith, and at the entrance, a memorial lych gate (Grade II). The central memorial was unveiled on 17 April 1921 by Brigadier-General S E Massey-Lloyd.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Needham Market War Memorial, which stands in St John the Baptist's Cemetery, 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:
* the monolith is a well-executed example in durable granite which survives well and forms a prominent centrepiece to the cemetery.
Group value:
* sharing a close association with the lych gate, also listed at Grade II.
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
Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
[(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)