Blackhall War Memorial

Summary

War memorial, 1952.

Reasons for Designation

Blackhall War Memorial, which stands in Welfare Park, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Historic association: an unusually late war memorial commemorating the community’s losses, in its public park.

History

A public meeting to discuss a suitable war memorial for the colliery village was called on 9 February 1948. Periodic meetings continued until September 1949, without coming to any conclusion, and on 10 December 1951 the matter was again raised by the Blackhall Branch of the British Legion. Fundraising began and on 19 April 1952 the memorial, by the Dunelm Granite Co Ltd, was unveiled by Mr E Shinwell MP and dedicated by Reverend E D'A Staunton at an ecumenical service.

The memorial commemorates 13 local servicemen who died in the First World War, the 48 servicemen and women who died in the Second World War, eight civilian casualties of an air-raid, and one soldier who died in Korea. The memorial was fenced in 2001 and on 7 September 2011 a new plaque was dedicated in commemoration of all those who have died in more recent conflicts.

Details

The stone memorial stands in the Welfare Park between the cricket ground and the bowling greens. It comprises a tall Latin cross, octagonal in section with moulded terminals, rising from a pyramidal plinth. That stands on a base of stone blocks which is raised on a round dias. The dias is approached from the south-east by a flight of five steps, enclosed by a low capped wall with scroll ends. A low curving wall to the rear of the monument terminates in stone piers.

The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the plinth reads +/ TO THE/ MEMORY OF/ THE GLORIOUS/ DEAD/ OF BLACKHALL/ WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES FOR KING AND/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT/ WARS, 1914-1918 – 1939-1945,/ CIVILIAN AIR RAID VICTIMS/ 1939-1945/ AND THE KOREAN WAR. The inscription on the face to the left reads 1914/ 1918/ (14 NAMES)/ CIVILIAN AIR RAID VICTIMS/ 1939-1945/ (8 NAMES)/ KOREAN WAR/ (1 NAME); that to the right reads 1939/ 1945/ (54 NAMES).

A rectangular stone plaque on the front face of the stone block base reads AND IN REMEMBRANCE OF/ THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE MANY CONFLICTS SINCE/ LEST WE FORGET. On the front face of the left-hand wall pier is inscribed DUNELM GRANITE CO, and to the right-hand pier, 1952.

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, 25 July 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project - Blackhall, accessed 18 February 2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=6432
War Memorials Online, accessed 7 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/233534
War Memorials Register, accessed 25 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/72343

Other
“Blackhall Memorial”, Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 26 January 1952, p4
“A job for all to do”, Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 19 April 1952, p8

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