Newport War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, designed by A E Lloyd Oswell and Iredale, unveiled on 3 April 1924, with further names added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Newport War Memorial, designed by A E Lloyd Oswell and Iredale, unveiled on 3 April 1924, 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: a simple yet dignified sandstone Latin cross sited within its original well-executed enclosure;
* Group value: with the Church of St Nicholas of Myra (Grade II*), the C13 Butter Cross (Grade II and a scheduled monument) and Grade-II listed buildings along the High Street.

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 raised at Newport as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was sculpted by architects A E Lloyd Oswell and Iredale and built by Mr Wardle. The cost was £237 12s and 0d for the stone and £26 5s and 0d for the sculpting, which was funded by public subscription. The memorial commemorated 64 fallen local men and was unveiled on 3 April 1924 by Brig Gen A H O Lloyd and dedicated by the Dean of Lichfield.

A further 24 names were later inscribed for those killed in the Second World War.

Details

MATERIALS: sandstone cross, bronze plaques.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a plain Latin cross, surmounted on an octagonal pedestal, which bears the bronze plaques dedicated to the fallen. The pedestal is supported by a two-stepped octagonal plinth and a two-stepped octagonal base.

On the front of the memorial, the plaque on the pedestal is inscribed with a cross and the dedication which reads IN HONOURED/ MEMORY OF THE/ MEN OF NEWPORT/ WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES IN THE WARS/ 1914 – 1918/ 1939 – 1945/ R.I.P. The names of the 64 who died in the First World War appear on two similar bronze plaques to the right and left sides of the first plaque. The 24 names of those who died in the Second World War are also inscribed on the second of these plaques.

The memorial is enclosed by a stone paved octagonal area defined by a low kerb and accessed from the church path by two steps.

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, 19 January 2017.

Sources

Books and journals
Doody, J, Great War Britain, Shropshire: Remembering 1914-18, (2014)

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 21 July 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/13908
The Shropshire Archives Online Database, Newport, accessed 26 May 2016 from http://search.shropshirehistory.org.uk/collections/getrecord/CCS_MSA34238/
War Memorials Online, accessed 19 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/219597

Other
Payment to Lloyd Oswell and Iredale Architect, 11th March 1921. Shrewsbury Archives: P207/B/3/7/8/2
Saint Nicholas Church War Memorial Committee Newport Salop, payment for the construction for the monument. Shrewsbury Archives: P207/B/3/7/8/1
Litchfield Diocese in Attendance Payment, Court Registry Fee’s, Shrewsbury Archives: P/207/B/3/4/8/3

End of official list entry

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