Woodchester War Memorial

Summary

A war memorial of 1920 date, constructed of Minchinhampton stone.

Reasons for Designation

Woodchester war memorial, of 1920 date, 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;
* Historic association: George Archer Shee, who is one of those memorialised, is a figure of historic note as the subject of a famous High Court trial in 1911 that would provide the inspiration for the notable play ‘The Winslow Boy’ by Terence Rattigan;
* Architectural interest: a well-crafted cross design in local stone;
* Intactness: the memorial is intact, and was repaired and restored in 2010.

History

The memorial was unveiled on 31 October 1920. It is shown on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1923 and has been little altered since then, except for the addition of the names of the fallen in the Second World War. The memorial was repaired and the lettering repainted in 2010. The lower step shows signs of wear and damage.

Among those commemorated is George Archer-Shee, who went missing in action, presumed dead, on 31 October 1914 at the First Battle of Ypres, at the age of nineteen. Of particular historic note is the false accusation of theft and forgery that was made against him (relating to a five-shilling postal order), while a thirteen year old cadet at the Royal Naval College at Osborne, which resulted in his expulsion in 1908. This eventually resulted in a sensational High Court case in July 1910, at which he was cleared of any wrongdoing. Substantial damages were eventually paid to Archer-Shee’s father, but only following a forced House of Commons debate. It has been claimed that the opposition to the granting of compensation was probably due in part to a prejudicial attitude to the Catholic faith of the family. The acquittal followed a successful defence mounted by Sir Edward Carson and became a cause celebre for the protection of human rights (especially those of a minor) from harsh and unfair treatment by the establishment. The case was dramatised, and Archer-Shee himself immortalised, by Terence Rattigan in his play ‘The Winslow Boy’ in 1946, which was filmed by Anthony Asquith in 1948 starring Robert Donat. The play has been regularly produced ever since, and further television and film versions made.

Following the completion of his education at Stonyhurst College in 1912, George Archer-Shee travelled to America to work for Wall Street firm Fisk & Robinson. He returned to England in 1913 to enlist in the army, and on 3 May was commissioned into the Special Reserve of Officers as a Second Lieutenant with the Third Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment. A few days before Archer-Shee went missing in action at Ypres, Sir Edward Carson’s nephew, Francis E. Robinson, fell on the same battlefield. Both are among those commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ypres, and Archer-Shee is on the Roll of Honour at the Church of St Mary on the Quay, Bristol (qv). Archer-Shee’s widowed mother and sister lived in Woodchester at the time of his death, in a house called Littleholme that has since been renamed Winslow House (qv). The other lives commemorated on the memorial were of local men whose sacrifice was no less tragic than that of George Archer-Shee.

Details

A war memorial of 1920 date, restored in 2010.

MATERIALS: constructed of local Minchinhampton limestone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is a freestanding wheel-cross on a tapering column that stands on a square base with three square steps below. The base is inscribed with the text: REMEMBER/1914 – 1919. Below, the names of the fallen (19) are listed in two columns. Further below the text: FELL. The step below is inscribed with the text: 1939 – 1945 and the names of the fallen from the Second World War (8). The left side of the lower step is chipped. All the text has been painted in black. To the rear and sides of the memorial is a high dry-stone wall which continues along the road on each side. A bank of land with established trees to the rear of the site rises above the structure and the road.

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, 10 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 14/11/2014 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/35460
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Shee, George Archer-, accessed 10/12/2014 from http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/article.jsp?articleid=64892&back=
Militarian - George Archer-Shee, accessed 10/12/2014 from http://www.militarian.com/threads/george-archer-shee-british-cause-c%C3%A9l%C3%A8bre.7715/
The London Gazette, 2 May 1913 - Special Reserve of Officers, accessed 10/12/2014 from https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28715/page/3152
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/88962

Other
Woodchester War Memorial booklet by Rhiannon Wigzell and Barbara Warnes, published by Woodchester Parish Council (2010)

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