St Mary's War Memorial

Overview

Location

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1922.

Reasons for Designation

St Mary’s War Memorial, which stands at the corner of Dean Road and South Eldon Street, Tyne Dock, 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 First World War; * Architectural interest: a well-proportioned memorial cross in the Celtic style; * Degree of survival: unusually the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.

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 outside St Mary’s Church, Tyne Dock, 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 22 January 1922 by the vicar, Reverend TP Williams. It had been built by local ex-servicemen under the instruction of local sculptor, Thomas Curry. It commemorates 182 men who died in the First World War. The name of one man who was shot for desertion in 1918 was added in 1999.

Details

The memorial stands on the verge at the corner of Dean Road and South Eldon Street. St Mary’s Church had stood to the rear until it was demolished. The Heworth Stone memorial, c4.5m tall, takes the form of a Celtic cross rising from a tapering plinth. The plinth stands on a base that is reached from the pavement by a rake of stone steps to the front.

The front face of the cross is ornamented with a reversed sword carved in low relief. The commemorated names are carved into the faces of the plinth, whilst the principal dedicatory inscription is recorded at the foot of the plinth. This reads TO THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD & IN GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ & CONGREGATION WHO FELL BY SEA, LAND AND AIR IN/ THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918.



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, 23 November 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 17/10/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=9653
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253770
War Memorials Register, accessed 22 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/17844

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.