Charminster War Memorial

Summary

First and Second World War memorial. Erected 1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

Reasons for Designation

Charminster war memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the church of St Mary, 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 Latin stone cross carved in Hamstone ashlar with a longsword in raised relief. It is derived from the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield’s ‘Cross of Sacrifice’ for the Imperial War Graves Commission;
* Group value: with the Grade I listed the church of St Mary and Grade II houses on East Hill.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw a huge wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. One such memorial was erected in 1920 to commemorate 22 residents of Charminster who died as a result of the conflict. It was positioned in the churchyard, which had been closed for burials since 1905. The design for the memorial was derived from the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield’s ‘Cross of Sacrifice’ for the Imperial War Graves Commission. Variations on Blomfield’s design appeared in stone masons catalogues and were chosen for local war memorials across England. Charminster war memorial was unveiled on Sunday 16th May 1920 from beneath a Union Jack and a dedication was held. It was attended by the relatives of the Fallen, the local clergy, and members of the Girl Guides, Sunday School children, Church Lads Brigade, Comrades of the Great War and the Bugle Band. A dedicatory prayer was said at the memorial, followed by a Roll of Honour and sounding of the Last Post.

A further inscription was added to the memorial following the Second World War, to commemorate nine residents who lost their lives. In 2008 a restoration project was launched by local residents to clean the memorial, restore the lettering, and hold a rededication service for the community.

Details

First and Second World War memorial. Erected 1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

MATERIALS: Hamstone ashlar set on a reinforced concrete foundation.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands in the churchyard of the church of St Mary, near the centre of Charminster, and faces east. It is to the south of the Grade I listed medieval church and west of the Grade II listed early C18 Bridge Cottage and Charminster House. The memorial comprises a tall elongated Latin stone cross c3.5m high with a tapering octagonal shaft and crossarm. A longsword is carved in raised relief on the cross; the crossguard of the sword matching where the cross’ shaft and crossarm meet. The shaft stands on a moulded and corniced square plinth, which rests on a three-tier stepped square base, altogether 1.5m high. On the front of the plinth is the inscription in black lettering: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF CHARMINSTER/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ AUGUST 4TH 1914 TO NOVEMBER 11TH 1918/ THIS CROSS IS ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THIS VILLAGE/ TO PERPETUATE THEIR GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE/ AND THEIR HOPE FOR THEM IN CHRIST. The other sides of the plinth are inscribed with 22 names, including rank, regiment, place of death and date of death. The top stage of the base is inscribed: ALSO IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN THE WORLD WAR/ SEPTEMBER 3RD 1939 TO AUGUST 15TH 1945. The names of nine of the Fallen appear on the other sides. The memorial is set on a reinforced concrete foundation.


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 4 October 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 1/03/2015 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/121398
The British Newspaper Archive: The Western Gazette Newspaper, Friday 21 May 1920, accessed 1 June 2015 from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000407/19200521/032/0009
War Memorials Register, accessed 4 October 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1111

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