Dunston Hill War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1923. Later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Dunston Hill War Memorial, which is situated at the junction of Ellison Road and King George Avenue, 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;
* Design: an elegant and well-proportioned example of the Celtic cross type of war memorial;
* Setting: the memorial stands in a prominent position on a main thoroughfare in the village.

History

The war memorial was unveiled on 15 April 1923 by Major General Sir Percy Wilkinson KCMG and dedicated by Bishop Welldon. The memorial was designed by Mr S J Stephenson of Messrs White & Stephenson, Newcastle, made by Messrs Emley & Sons, Newcastle, and was erected by Messrs Bewley & Scott, contractors, Dunston. At the dedication ceremony for the Second World War additions in 1950, the memorial was unveiled by the Durham County President of the British Legion, Lord Gort. The memorial was restored in 2009.

Details

The granite memorial stands in a prominent position at the junction of Ellison Road and King George Avenue. It is in the form of a tall, ornate, Celtic cross. The wheel-head arms and the front and rear faces of the shaft are decorated with intricate interlace patterns carved in relief. The shaft is raised on a square plinth with chamfered corners. The plinth stands on a five-stepped octagonal base, which is placed on a three-stepped area of paving.

Each face of the plinth is divided into vertical panels bearing the inscriptions and names. Bronze lettering applied to the base of the shaft reads THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918. A bronze plaque on the central panel of the plinth’s front face reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ THESE LAID THE/ WORLD AWAY/ POURED OUT THE/ RED SWEET WINE/ OF YOUTH GAVE/ UP THE YEARS TO/ BE OF WORK AND/ JOY AND THAT/ UNHOPED SERENE/ THAT MEN CALL/ AGE The bottom of the bronze plaque is decorated with a wreath and palm fronds in relief.

Incised below this plaque on the sloping face of the plinth base is REMEMBER ALSO/ THOSE WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN/ WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945

Recessed panels either side of the bronze plaque, and on each of the other three sides of the plinth, contain the First World War names in carved and painted lettering. The names from the Second World War are carved and painted on the sloping face of the plinth base.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 7 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project database, accessed 29/01/2015 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=6894
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24066
War Memorials Online, accessed 7 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/100063

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