Summary
First World War memorial, 1922.
Description
First World War memorial, 1922.
MATERIALS: constructed from Aberdeen granite.
PLAN: located at the south-west corner of the churchyard of the Church of All Saints.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a cross within a laurel wreath, atop a tapering square shaft on a substantial square plinth and single-stepped base. It is set within a small enclosure formed by a brick wall and is approached from the south-west via four paved steps.
The main inscription in leaded lettering on the south-west face of the plinth reads: ‘ERECTED IN MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF THIS PARISH / WHO FOUGHT AND DIED / FOR KING, COUNTRY, LIBERTY / AND JUSTICE / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918 / GREATER LOVE HATH NO / MAN THAN THIS, / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN / HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIEND / JOHN: XV, 13’. The names of the 17 men who died in the First World War are on the north-west and south-east faces of the plinth, and in 2019 the name of a nurse was added.
Additional inscriptions commemorate the lives lost in the Second World War and the war in Afghanistan.
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.
One such memorial was raised at Stradbroke as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was designed by Mrs Upcher, and the builder was Frank D Howard. It was unveiled during a ceremony on Sunday 30 July 1922 by Lord Henniker and dedicated by Bishop Wood.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War and the war in Afghanistan were subsequently added to the memorial. In 2019 the name Ethel Tate was added to the memorial; Tate, daughter of the local rector, was a nurse who lost her life in the First World War.
Reasons for Listing
The Stradbroke War Memorial 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 a dignified, well-constructed monument which survives unaltered.
Group value:
* with the Church of All Saints (Grade II*) and the numerous other listed buildings in the village centre.
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
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
[(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
England's Post-War Listed Buildings
Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)