Sandy War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial.

Reasons for Designation

Sandy War Memorial, unveiled in 1921, 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 sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;

* Architectural interest: it is a well-crafted tribute to the fallen by Sir Reginald Blomfield, an eminent architect with many listed buildings to his name.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the 19th century. Prior to then memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, which was the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, 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.

The memorial in Sandy cost £560, raised by public subscription, and was unveiled in front of a large crowd of parishioners on 4th August 1921. It was made by the masons Messrs A. Hunt & Sons according to the design of the 'Cross of Sacrifice' which was devised in 1919 by Sir Reginald Blomfield (1856-1942) for war cemeteries abroad, although it was also widely adopted in Britain. Blomfield was a prolific and influential architect who has many listed buildings to his name.

Details

MATERIALS: Portland stone ashlar.

PLAN: the memorial stands adjacent to the Recreation Ground and is in the form of an octagonal cross with moulded base, arms and head, tapering towards the top and overlaid with a bronze sword. The cross stands on a triple-stepped, octagonal base which itself stands on an octagonal plinth inscribed with: ‘IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WARS 1914-1918 AND 1939-1945’, and the names of the fallen.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the memorial is enclosed by a low wall of squared, coursed rubble stone laid out as an octagon with one open side which is flanked by octagonal piers with bases and moulded ashlar caps.


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, 27 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 1 September 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/7613
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/167637

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