Evenwood War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Evenwood War Memorial, which stands in Evenwood 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 this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a well-proportioned obelisk in the Classical 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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Evenwood as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Evenwood War Memorial was unveiled on 20 June 1921 by Colonel T Dowling OBE and dedicated by Reverend RE Bagg. The memorial cost £131 and was made by Allison and Son of Bishop Auckland. It commemorated 48 servicemen from the district who died during the First World War. Following the Second World War a further 20 names were added to commemorate those who fell in that conflict. The memorial was restored by the parish council in 1999.

The firm of W Allison and Sons, masons, was responsible for a number of war memorials including those at Byers Green, Coundon, and Escomb (all Grade II-listed).

Details

The memorial stands in Evenwood Cemetery, just within the gates (not listed). Approximately 5m tall, the Dunhouse freestone memorial takes the form of an obelisk, square on plan. A wreath is carved in low relief on the front face of the obelisk. The obelisk rises from the cap of the pedestal below, also square on plan and with a three-stepped base. The base is enclosed by a square border and low kerb.

The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the pedestal reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN/ THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE/ OF THE MEN OF/ EVENWOOD, RAMSHAW AND LANDS/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE/ DURING THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918. The commemorated names are inscribed on the other faces of the pedestal and on the riser of the top step of the base.

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, 23 November 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 20/06/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=7183
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/10353
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253813

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