Halford War Memorial Lych Gate

Summary

A churchyard war memorial lych gate of c. 1920.

Reasons for Designation

The Halford War Memorial lych gate 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: as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a churchyard lych gate;
* Group value: with the church of St Thomas (Grade II).

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. One such memorial was Halford war memorial lych gate. The monument was dedicated by The Re vd. C Morris in March 1920

Details

A churchyard war memorial lych gate of c. 1920.

MATERIALS and PLAN: the lych gate stands to the south-east of the church of St Thomas and has a lower body of stone walling at each side of the pathway, with a timber super structure and gabled roof. Gates are set at the eastern end.

The lower stone walling rises up at the centre of each side and each contains an inscribed stone panel. The timber superstructure is pegged and has square uprights to the corners with arched braces which connect to cranked tie beams which support uprights and arched braces. The bargeboards are cusped and chamfered. Both eastern and western gable ends are similar, save that the east end has a pair of gates with arched braces to their panels. The eastern gable end tie beam is carved in relief ‘THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE’ The western tie beam is carved in relief with the wording ‘BY LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER’. The southern side panel reads: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN LOVING MEMORY / OF MY HUSBAND WILLIAM GEORGE BIGGS / AND OF THE OTHER DEAR LADS WHO / TOGETHER WITH HIM WERE MEMBERS / OF THIS CHOIR AND CONGREGATION. / BRETHEREN, REMEMBER IN THE LORD, THESE OUR DEAR BROTHERS / WHO HAVING SERVED THEIR COUNTRY EVEN UNTO DEATH DO NOW / REJOICE, ARE NOW COMFORTED NOW SECURE NOW AT REST. / MAY WE FOR WHOM THEY DIED AND THOSE WHO COME AFTER US, / STRIVE TO PROVE WORTHY OF THEIR GREAT SACRIFICE AND WITH / LIKE COURAGE AND FAITHFULNESS BEAR OUR WILLING SHARE / OF SERVICE FOR THE COMMON GOOD SO THAT WHEN THE / TIME OF OUR DEPARTURE HENCE SHALL COME, WE MAY HAVE A GOOD HOPE OF REST WITH THEM IN PARADISE, AND BE PARTAKERS / TOGETHER OF THE LIFE OF THE WORLD TO COME.’ Beneath this are two quotations; “God having provided some better thing for us / that they without us should not be made perfect.” / “There remaineth therefore a Rest for the people of God”.
The plaque on the northern side reads ‘ROLL OF HONOUR / THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE’. Names of the fallen are recorded below with the names of their regiments, the date and cause of death and their age. At the bottom is inscribed ‘Greater love hath no man than this / that a man lay down his life for his friends.’

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, 19 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 19 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/13825
War Memorials Online, accessed 19 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/138399

End of official list entry

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