Church Crookham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, by designer Charles Geoffrey Holme and with later additions for the Second World War and other conflicts.

Reasons for Designation

Church Crookham War Memorial, which stands at the junction of Gables Road and Gally Hill 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 the local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20 and C21;
* Architectural interest: an imposing Portland stone cross ornamented with a Sword of Sacrifice carved in relief.

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, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Church Crookham 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 designed by Charles Geoffrey Holme and built by S Mardles and Sons of Fleet. It was dedicated on 10 October 1920, commemorating the local servicemen who died in the First World War; 48 names are recorded on a memorial board in the parish church.

Following the Second World War a dedication was added to mark those who died in that conflict. This includes seven civilian casualties and 32 servicemen, whose names are also recorded in the parish church.

Details

The memorial stands in the road at the junction of Gables Road and Gally Hill Road. The tall Portland stone memorial takes the form of a wheel-head cross. The edges of the cross head and shaft, and the faces of the wheel-head, are carved with a running rope ornament. The front face of the cross bears a Sword of Sacrifice carved in relief. The cross shaft stands on a low, three-stepped base. The memorial is raised on a circular paved mound.

The dates 1914 1918 are carved at the foot of the cross shaft. The principal dedicatory inscription begins on the front face of the base’s upper step, reading TO THE GLORY OF GOD and continues below on the next step IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR KING &/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR THEIR NAMES ARE IN-SCRIBED IN THE CHURCH &/ IN GRATITUDE FOR THE LIVES OF THOSE/ WHO WERE SPARED.

The later dedication is recorded on a small tablet below that, reading AND IN MEMORY OF OUR WAR DEAD/ 1939 – 1945/ AND OTHER CONFLICTS PAST AND PRESENT.

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, 20 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 22/09/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/21227
War Memorials Online, accessed 20 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/102841

End of official list entry

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