Summary
First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War. The small tablet in front of the memorial is not included in the listing.
Reasons for Designation
Newnham War Memorial, in St Mark’s churchyard, is listed at Grade II for the following 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: a modest yet well-executed stone cross.
History
A war memorial committee raised the £200 cost of the memorial by subscription. The committee decided upon a deliberately simple and relatively low cross, to complement and not dominate the church of St Mark, then just c20 years old. After the committee had consulted the Royal Academy about the memorial’s design, its details were worked up by the Cambridge builders Messrs Ratlee and Kett (who also constructed it), and its lettering was designed by SC Cockerell, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum. The cross was unveiled and dedicated on 7 October 1920 by Col. Riddell, CMG, DSO, sometime Commander Ist Battalion, the Cambridgeshire Regiment, and the Bishop of Ely.
Details
The war memorial stands to the front of (north of) the church of St Mark. Some 4m tall overall and of Portland stone, it is a simple yet elegant cross set on top of an octagonal shaft. That rises from a square plinth with chamfered edges, set on a two-stage octagonal base. The dedicatory inscription and the names of the fallen are now (2015) so eroded as to be only partially legible. The dedication is recorded as reading IN HIS WILL IS OUR PEACE/ FOR NONE OF US LIVETH TO HIMSELF/ NO MAN DIETH TO HIMSELF and TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR 1914-1919. 51 names of the fallen are inscribed, together with those of parishioners who died in the Second World War. A small tablet in front of the memorial (not included in the listing) states that the names of the fallen are recorded inside the church.
End of official list entry
