Datchworth War Memorial

Summary

Datchworth war memorial was erected in 1919 and dedicated to the fallen of the First World War with later inscriptions added to commemorate those who fell in the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Datchworth war memorial, unveiled in October 1919, set within the grounds of the Church of All Saints, 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: as a modest yet well-executed obelisk memorial with fine relief carved details;
* Group value: for the strong group value it holds with the neighbouring Grade II* listed Church of All Saints.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Prior to then memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, which was the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

Datchworth war memorial was unveiled in October 1919 at a cost of £100 in memory of 13 local men who fell in the First World War (1914-18). Following the Second World War (1939-45), a further four names of those who fell in this conflict were added to the memorial. The war memorial is situated in the grounds of the Grade II* listed Church of All Saints, Datchworth (NHLE 356131).

Details

Datchworth war memorial was erected in 1919 in the grounds of the Church of All Saints, set off Bury Lane. The Portland stone monument measures approximately 3.5 metres in height, is square in plan and takes the form of a tapering obelisk set on a plinth, surmounting a three-stepped base and platform. The stone obelisk has chamfered corners and the upper portion of the frontal elevation features a carved relief of a sword and a laurel wreath.

The four faces of the plinth were affixed with uniform square marble tablets following the Second World War, these presumably covering original inscriptions of 1919 beneath. The tablet on the front face of the plinth reads: ‘IN MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF DATCHWORTH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN TWO WORLD WARS / 1914 – 1918 / 1939 – 1945’. Two of the tablets list the names of the 13 local men who fell in the First World War and a separate plaque records four of the fallen from the Second World War.


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, 27 July 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 21 September 2015 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/14558
Waymarking, accessed 21 September 2015 from http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMEDTE_Combined_War_Memorial_All_Saints_Church_Datchworth_Herts_UK
Burnham Green local website, accessed 21 September 2015 from http://burnhamgreen.com/history/at-war
British Newspaper Archive - Luton and Bedfordshire Chronicle, 16 October 1919, accessed 17 November 2015 from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/251923

End of official list entry