Gamlingay War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, with Second World War additions. It was moved in the late C20 and again in 2016.

Reasons for Designation

Gamlingay War Memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, with Second World War additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design interest: an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a Latin wheel-head cross.

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, 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.

One such memorial was unveiled and dedicated on 19th December 1920 at Gamlingay to honour the 65 local men who died during the conflict. The memorial was designed and executed by Messrs G Maile and Son Ltd, and cost in the region of £200. A further 14 names were added to commemorate those who fell in the Second World War.

The memorial was originally located on a small traffic island at the junction of Church Lane and Station Road. In the late C20 it was moved a short distance to the south, to stand outside the pedestrian gate to Gamlingay Village College. In September 2016 it was moved again, being relocated to the newly opened St Mary’s Field Cemetery.

Details

First World War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: of Cornish granite.

PLAN: it is octagonal on plan.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the sensory garden at St Mary's Field Cemetery, which opened in 2016. It comprises a two-stepped octagonal base, of which the bottom step is of concrete, surmounted by an octagonal plinth. From the plinth a tall shaft tapers in octagonal section to a Latin cross with knops at the terminals. The top of the shaft is carved with small, blind, trefoil-headed lancets set between bands of carved oak leaves. The plinth's NW face bears the First World War dedicatory inscription which reads 'THE GREAT WAR / 1914 - 1919. / TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AS A TESTIMONY OF / EFFORT NOBLY / WROUGHT / AND IN MEMORY OF / OUR FALLEN '. Immediately below is a quotation from Homer's Iliad which reads "HE SERVES ME MOST WHO / SERVES HIS COUNTRY BEST." The names of the 65 men who died are inscribed on the remaining five faces of the plinth. Below the First World War dedication, the base of the plinth is inscribed '1939 - 1945', with the names of the 14 men who died during the Second World War inscribed across the other five faces of the plinth's base.


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, 21 March 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 5 August 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/46537
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 March 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/221823

Other
Cambridge Independent Press, 24 December 1920
Biggleswade Chronicle, 26 December 1920

End of official list entry

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