Kirtling and Upend War Memorial, Kirtling, Cambridgeshire

Summary

First World War memorial with names added after the Second World War.

Description

First World War memorial with names added after the Second World War.

MATERIALS: rough hewn granite.

PLAN: the war memorial is located on the green at the junction of Cowlinge Road and Newmarket Road.

EXTERIOR: the memorial is in the form of a Celtic cross resting upon a square plinth and three-stepped base. It is set within a small square gravelled area, defined by a low stone kerb. On the plinth is inscribed ‘Lest we forget/ To the glory of God/ And in grateful memory/ of the men of Kirtling/ who gave their lives in the Great War/ 1914-1918’, followed by fourteen names inscribed in the step below (incised and painted). Underneath the inscription on the plinth is a small metal plaque with the dates 1939-1945 and the names of the three men who fell in the Second World War.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Before this, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, which was the first major war following reforms to the British Army, leading to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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.

One such memorial was raised at Kirtling and Upend 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 names of three soldiers who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.

Reasons for Listing

Kirtling and Upend War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* it is 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:

* it is in the form of a Celtic cross, one of the classic designs used for First World War memorials.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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