Cawston War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with later adaptations for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Cawston War Memorial, situated in Cawston Cemetery, 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: a well-executed cross in the medieval style.

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 raised at Cawston c1920, possibly funded by the Parish Council and the local British Legion branch, to commemorate the 33 servicemen from the village who died fighting during the First World War. Another inscription listing the names of those who fell in the Second World War was added in 1950.

In July 1999 the memorial was struck by lightning, destroying the cross head and the top of the shaft. Repairs were carried out in 2000, funded by War Memorials Trust and the Parish Council. The memorial was re-dedicated on 9 June 2001 and a plaque added to the flowerbed at the foot of the memorial.

Details

The memorial stands in the footpath running through Cawston Cemetery, at the centre of the cemetery. Of Clipsham limestone, it comprises a wheel-head cross rising from a lantern on a tall, octagonal, shaft. The shaft rises from a square plinth, that stands on a two-stepped brick and limestone base. The cross head arms terminate in carved trefoils. The lantern is decorated with carved quatrefoils enclosing rosettes on each side, with pinnacles at each corner.

The principal inscription on the front face of the plinth reads IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF CAWSTON/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. The names of the local servicemen who fell in the First World War are listed on the other faces of the plinth. In addition, an inscription on the front face of the upper stage of the base reads 1939 – 1945, with the names of the three men who fell in the Second World War listed beneath. These inscriptions are incised.

The memorial stands within a raised, circular, flowerbed. In the flowerbed is a square marble plaque inscribed THIS WAR MEMORIAL/ WAS RE-DEDICATED/ 9TH JUNE 2001/ HAVING BEEN RESTORED/ AFTER LIGHTNING DAMAGE. This inscription is incised and painted black.

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, 20 January 2017.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 24 March 2021 to correct the URL link for the Cawston Heritage website

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 18/05/2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19791
War Memorials Trust, Grants Showcase - Cawston (Norfolk), accessed 18/05/2015 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=389
Roll of Honour and War Memorials · Cawston Heritage - Norfolk - UK, accessed 24/03/2020 from https://www.cawstonheritage.co.uk/items/show/63
War Memorials Online, accessed 20 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/104249

End of official list entry

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