Bruton War Memorial

Summary

First World War Memorial. Circa 1920, with further inscriptions added later. Restored in 2012.

Reasons for Designation

Bruton War Memorial, erected in the early 1920s, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an accomplished war memorial, in the form of Latin cross with commemorative plaques to its stone plinth, and of high sculptural value;
* Group value: the memorial groups well with a number of listed chest tombs (Grade II) and the Grade I listed Church of St Mary, and overlooks the Grade II listed Church Bridge.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the single biggest wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was erected, probably in the early 1920s, in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Bruton, Somerset to commemorate the men of the parish who died during the conflict. It was designed by architect A J Pictor of Bath and Bruton who was responsible for a number of buildings in the town including the library and the memorial hall at King's College. Further inscriptions were added to the memorial following the Second World War, in memory of the men who lost their lives. The memorial was re-dedicated in May 2012 to include the name of a military policeman, Sergeant Ben Ross, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

Repairs were carried out to the war memorial in 2012.

Details

First World War Memorial. Circa 1920 by A J Pictor, with further inscriptions added later. Restored in 2012.

MATERIALS: carved from Doulting stone.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands in a prominent and elevated position within the churchyard, to the north-west of St Mary’s Church. It is hexagonal on plan with two stone steps; a base and a plinth, both with moulded caps. The tapering column rises to a foliate capital, and the Latin cross is fixed into a floriated lancet-style socket with a rosette to each lancet. The cross has hexagonal sections. The plinth carries inscriptions to the Fallen of both the First and Second World Wars. The First World War inscriptions are carved in recessed panels; the north face is inscribed: ‘1914 – 1918/ HALLOWED IN CHRIST/ BE THE MEMORY OF/ THESE OUR BELOVED/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ FOR THE FREEDOM/ OF THE WORLD’; the other panels are inscribed with the names of those who lost their lives during the conflict. Also to the north side of the plinth, beneath the First World War dedication, are two further inscriptions which read: ‘ALSO OF/ THE WORLD WAR OF/ 1939 – 1945’ and ‘ALSO SINCE 1945.’ The names of those who died during the Second World War and the military policeman who lost his life in 2009 are listed on the other faces of the plinth.


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 14 December 2016.

Sources

Websites
Bruton WM4217, accessed from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=844
War Memorials Online, accessed 14/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/135944
War Memorials Register, accessed 15/10/2014 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1409

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