Stopham War Memorial

Summary

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

Reasons for Designation

Stopham War Memorial, which stands on the village green, 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 sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant cross in the medieval style;
* Group value: with the Parish Church of St Mary (Grade I) and other buildings on the green listed at Grade II.

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 the country. 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 Stopham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It commemorates eight local servicemen who died: following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the four fallen of that conflict.

One of the names that appears most frequently on the war memorial is Barttelot. The family have a long standing association with Stopham as the major local landowners. They have a long tradition of military service: the second Baronet died serving in the Boer War, two of his children died in the First World War, and a further generation, the fourth Baronet, fell in the Second World War.

In 1987 the top section of the cross was damaged in a hurricane and later had to be replaced. In 2008 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust. The memorial was re-dedicated in November 2008.

Details

MATERIALS: Midhurst stone.

DESCRIPTION: Stopham War Memorial in Sussex stands in the centre of the village green, in front of the Parish Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed). It consists of a five tier octagonal stepped base of locally quarried Midhurst stone. On this base is an octagonal plinth inscribed with the names of those who fell in the two world wars. Rising from this is a tall tapering octagonal shaft topped with a moulded collar and Latin cross. Below the collar is a badge carved in relief on the front face. The bottom of the shaft has a cross carved in relief followed by SURSUM CORDA (Latin: 'Lift up your hearts') in Gothic script.

The inscription on the war memorial reads: IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918. The other faces of the plinth are inscribed with the names. The rear face of the plinth in inscribed 1939 + 1945/ (NAMES).

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The base of the memorial is surrounded by low wooden posts carrying a chain.


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, 5 December 2016.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 05/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/43473
War Memorials Trust, Grants Showcase, accessed 28/07/2016 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=433
War Memorials Online, accessed 05/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/81237

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