Teignmouth War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial dedicated in 1921; further names were added after the Second World War and C20 conflicts.

Reasons for Designation

Teignmouth war memorial 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 made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: it has an elegant and sombre obelisk design, with a complementary set of railings;
* Group value: with other listed structures on the Promenade, including the mid-19 lighthouse to the south (Grade II).

History

The memorial was erected on the Promenade to commemorate the residents of Teignmouth who died during the First World War. The cost of the memorial was raised by public subscription. Colonel F B Mildmay (MP) unveiled the memorial at a dedication ceremony held in January 1921. The inscription was done in beaten lead at the expense of the contractors T H and B Knight and Sons, in order to maintain the lettering on the memorial which was exposed to the spray of the sea. Not all of the names of those who had died had been collected by the time of the unveiling. Further names were added later to decorative triangles placed at the bottom of the obelisk. After 1945 the memorial was raised when the second tier of the base was replaced by a larger ashlar stone that was inscribed with the names of those killed during the Second World War were added. Three further names were added to remember the members of the armed forces who died in conflicts in Malaya (1948-60), Kenya (1952-1960), and Cyprus (1954).

Details

A First World War memorial dedicated in 1921; further names were added after the Second World War and C20 conflicts.

MATERIALS: granite with beaten-lead lettering and cast-iron railings.

DESCRIPTION: a stepped square base surmounted by a rough-hewn tapering plinth and obelisk. Stone panels on the plinth commemorate the fallen of the First World War. Further inscriptions were added to the base for those who died during the Second World War. The inscription on the plinth's south-west face reads, ‘ERECTED IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF/ TEIGNMOUTH/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919’. Below, the inscription on the base reads- ‘DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE/ MEN AND WOMEN OF TEIGNMOUTH/ WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945, and above is a triangular panel with the names of three men who died during later C20 conflicts. The other faces of the memorial bear the names of those who died during the conflicts. The memorial is surrounded by a set of small decorative cast-iron railings and shaped stone posts.

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, 8 December 2016.

Sources

Websites
Teignmouth The Sea Front War Memorial, accessed 10 March 2015 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Teignmouth/TeignmouthTheSeaFrontWarMemorialWW1.htm
War Memorials Register, accessed 10/03/2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/25970
Photograph of Teignmouth War Memorial in 1922, accessed 10 March 2015 from http://www.francisfrith.com/teignmouth/teignmouth-war-memorial-1922_73083
War Memorials Online, accessed 08/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/98198

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