Bracebridge Heath War Memorial, Bracebridge Heath, Lincolnshire

Summary

A Clipsham stone war memorial erected in 1921, commemorating soldiers who died in the First and Second World Wars.

Description

MATERIALS: the memorial is constructed with Clipsham stone. The cross stands on a two-stepped plinth, featuring dark grey slate plaques, on which the commemoration is written in gold text.

PLAN: the memorial features a two stepped square base, above which is a two-stepped plinth, a tapered shaft, and a stone cross.

DESCRIPTION: Bracebridge Heath war memorial stands at 16ft in height and is surmounted by a Gothic cross.

The memorial frontage inscribed with following: ‘1939-1945’ on top plinth, with ‘To the Glorious Memory of the men from/ Bracebridge Heath, who lost their lives/ in the great war/ 1914-1918/ Faithful unto Death’ on the lower plinth.

The upper panels feature the names of those lost in the Second World War, with the South East side reading: ‘NAMES.' The lower panels commemorate the residents of Bracebridge Heath who passed in the First World War, with the South East and North Wester lower panels reading: ‘NAMES.'

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, as a result both of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities, and of 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.

The civil parish of Bracebridge Heath is relatively young, having been created by an Order of Parliament only in 1898. Before then, it formed part of the parish of Bracebridge, which is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book. However, there is evidence of Roman remains to the south of the village, as well as a Roman road running through it in the form of Ermine Street.

A War Memorial Committee was established in Bracebridge Heath in early 1920, with the purpose of determining how best to commemorate the fallen of the parish. Mr Arthur Crooks Newsum JP was elected Chairman and Treasurer, and Mr W B Mawer as Secretary. Bracebridge Heath War Memorial was unveiled and dedicated in March 1921, with the service conducted by the Very Revd Ernest Stafford Smith MA, vicar of All Saints church Bracebridge in the presence of Mr and Mrs A C Newsum, Major H E Newsum, Mr J S Battle, Mr J S Battle, Mr J Lodge, Mr F Brown, Dr Johnson, Mr S R Grantham, Mrs Stafford Smith, Mr and Mrs H W Poppleton, and other relatives and friends of the fallen. The design was the work of Mr H G Gamble of Lincoln, and construction was performed by Messrs Bowman and Sons of Stamford, before it was erected by Mr Francis W. Horton. It was placed at the junction of Grantham and Sleaford roads, the centre of Bracebridge Heath, where the main infrastructure of the village can be found, and housing development was focused in intervals following the First World War. The village was notable for the construction of an RAF base there during the First World War.

The memorial itself commemorates the residents of Bracebridge Heath who died in the First (fifteen names) and Second (nine names) World War, with the latter names added sometime after 1945. One Yorkshire Regiment soldier is commemorated on the memorial.

In 1931, Bracebridge Heath War Memorial was described as ‘long neglected’ by the Lincolnshire Echo, and the maintenance of the memorial became the responsibility of the council rather than the War Memorial Committee.

Reasons for Listing

Bracebridge Heath War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eleoquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* as an elegantly designed and well-executed memorial which survives well.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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