Sherburn Hill War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Sherburn Hill War Memorial, which stands on Front Street, 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 simple yet 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 Sherburn Hill as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Sherburn Hill was the pit village for Sherburn Hill Colliery, opened in 1835. The war memorial was unveiled on 21 October 1921 by Major Dorman and dedicated by Reverend HP Boase. It commemorates 52 local servicemen who died in the First World War. The memorial cost £300 raised by public subscription, and at a service held on 11 November 1922 was formally handed over to the Parish Council. Following the Second World War a further 15 names of men who died in that conflict were added.

Details

The red granite memorial stands on Front Street, outside the Community Centre (formerly the Miners’ Institute). It takes the form of an obelisk, square on plan, rising from the corniced top of a pedestal. The pedestal stands on a four-stage base of which the uppermost stage is also red granite, whilst the others are a different stone. The whole is raised on a platform and enclosed by low round-headed railings.

The commemorated First World War names are listed on the faces of the pedestal. On the front face of the base’s uppermost stage the principal dedicatory inscription reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN PROUD MEMORY/ OF THE MEN WHO LEFT SHERBURN HILL/ AND MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE IN THE/ GREAT EUROPEAN WAR 1914 –1918./ ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF/ SHERBURN HILL.

On a red granite panel let into the riser of the stage below, the later dedication reads ALSO WORLD WAR 1939-1945/ (NAMES). This list of names is continued on a similar panel on the stage below, followed by the quotation "THEY SHALL GROW NOT OLD AS WE THAT ARE LEFT GROW OLD/ AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN/ AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM" taken from the poem ‘For The Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon.

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, 7 February 2017.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 07/03/2017

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 20/09/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=8818
War Memorials Register, accessed 7 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/42025
War Memorials Online, accessed 7 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/189333

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