Dorchester War Memorial

Summary

First and Second World War memorial. Erected 1921 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

Reasons for Designation

Dorchester war memorial, erected in 1921 at the corner of South Street and South Walks, 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 imposing and well-crafted cenotaph, carved with upper panels featuring a longsword within a laurel wreath in fine Portland stone masonry;
* Group value: as part of a historic streetscape that includes the C18 Town Walks (Grade II registered), laid out on the course of the (scheduled) Roman walls, and the C18 Junction Hotel and adjacent late C19 post box (both Grade II listed).

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 1921 to commemorate 240 residents of Dorchester who died as a result of the conflict. The design for the memorial was inspired by The Cenotaph at Whitehall, London, (Grade I) by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. A war memorial was first discussed at a public meeting at the Dorchester Corn Exchange on 14th March 1919. However a design was not agreed upon until the following year and the memorial was erected in 1921. Dorchester Borough Council initially contacted Sir Edwin Lutyens regarding a replica of The Cenotaph but decided upon a significant variation of that monument. It is known locally as the 'Cenotaph’; a name which derives from the Greek for an empty tomb, signifying a monument to those whose remains are buried elsewhere. The memorial weighs 17 tons and was built by Algernon Grassby, monumental mason of Maumbury Way, Dorchester, with bronze plaques by Robert Membury from the Model Brass Foundry at Colliton Street, Dorchester. It was unveiled by Lord Ellenborough on Empire Day, 24th May 1921, at a service attended by friends and relatives of the Fallen, local dignitaries and representatives of organisations in the town. Hymns were sung, addresses given by local clergy and the Last Post sounded.

An inscription was added to the memorial following the Second World War, to commemorate 83 residents who lost their lives, and another plaque added after 1945 to commemorate two further servicemen.

Details

First and Second World War memorial. Erected 1921 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

MATERIALS: Portland whitbed stone ashlar.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands at the corner of South Street and South Walks, adjacent to a prominent junction on the site of the south gate of the Roman town. It takes the form of a cenotaph; a monument erected in honour of the Fallen of Dorchester, many of whose remains are elsewhere. The cenotaph is rectangular in plan, 4.5m high, 3.2m wide and 2.1m deep. At the top is a large ashlar course; probably a representation of a tomb chest, that stands on a shaft with a heavily moulded cornice and moulded base, which in-turn rests on two steps. Just above mid-height the shaft tapers to meet a roll moulding, which is broken on two sides by carved panels of a longsword within a laurel wreath, entwined by a ribbon marked 1914 and 1918. The lower stage of the shaft has plain recessed panels on each side containing narrow bronze plaques. The west panel has five plaques, the first of which is inscribed: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE OF DORCHESTER WHO IN THE GREAT WAR/ GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY. Four plaques beneath it contain names of the Fallen. The east panel bears two plaques, the first is inscribed: THIS CENOTAPH/ WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION/ AND UNVEILED BY THE/ RIGHT HON. LORD ELLENBOROUGH, C.B. ON EMPIRE DAY 1921/ A.L.T. TILLEY, MAYOR 1920. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE., and the second is inscribed: THE MEMORIAL TABLETS ERECTED TO THOSE WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN THE WORLD WAR 1939-1945 WERE/ UNVEILED BY HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR OF DORCHESTER/ (COUNCILLOR HENRY G. LONGMAN, J.P.,) 1948 & 1949. On the south panel is the inscription: 1939-1945/ (NAMES) and on the north panel are three plaques, each inscribed as follows (top to bottom): 1939-1945/ (NAMES), SINCE 1945/ (NAMES) and 1914-1918/ (NAMES). The memorial contains 240 names of the Fallen of the First World War (including one nurse; Constance Hodges), 83 names of the Second World War and two names since 1945, all with service branch or regiment. It is enclosed by a chain link fence with eight ornamented metal posts.


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 December 2016.

Sources

Websites
The British Newspaper Archive: The Western Gazette Newspaper, Friday 27 May 1921, accessed 10 June 2015 from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000407/19210527/001/0003
Bates, B, Dorset Life: ‘So nobly sacrificed their lives’ - Dorchester War Memorials (2012), accessed 10 June 2015 from http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2012/11/so-nobly-sacrificed-their-lives-dorchester-war-memorials/
War Memorials Register, accessed 07/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1000
War Memorials Online, accessed 07/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/121509

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