Haverton Hill and Port Clarence War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1922, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Haverton Hill and Port Clarence War Memorial, which stands on Port Clarence Road, 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 tall and 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 Port Clarence 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 unveiled on 14 October 1922 by Sir Hugh Bell CB, Lord-Lieutenant of the North Riding, and his wife Lady Bell DBE. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Durham, commemorating 88 local servicemen who died during the First World War. A further six names were later added. Following the Second World War the names of 46 people who died during that conflict were added and the monument was re-dedicated in 1957.

Some of the memorial’s original metal railings are thought to have been taken during the Second World War scrap-drive. When the front fence was damaged in 1988 in a road traffic accident, the railings were replaced in full: these railings are excluded from the listing.

Details

The memorial stands at the junction of Port Clarence Road and West Street. It takes the form of a tall obelisk in red granite, rising from the corniced top of a large pedestal. The pedestal’s base stands on a three-stepped base. The foot of the obelisk is defined by a fillet, below which on the front face a wreath is carved in relief.

The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the pedestal reads HAVERTON HILL AND PORT CLARENCE/ WAR MEMORIAL./ IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS DISTRICT/ WHO FELL/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919./ (NAMES). The Second World War dedication to the east face of the pedestal reads IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY/ OF THE MEN AND WOMEN/ OF THIS DISTRICT WHO FELL IN/ WORLD WAR II./ (NAMES). These inscriptions are on bronze plaques fixed to the granite. To the front of the pedestal’s base a small shield records the six First World War names added at a later date.


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, 24 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 19/09/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=8416
War Memorials Register, accessed 24 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/9812
War Memorials Online, accessed 24 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/201642

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