Hales and Heckingham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, erected c1920. In 2002, after being damaged in a traffic accident in 1999, it was re-erected and re-dedicated, including Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Hales and Heckingham War Memorial, unveiled and dedicated c1920, 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;
* Design interest: as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a Celtic cross.

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. One such memorial was erected c1920 in the village of Hales to honour the men of the adjacent Norfolk parishes of Hales and Heckingham who died during the conflict. It records the names of 19 men who fell in the First World War, of which 13 are from Hales and four from Heckingham. In 1999, the memorial was damaged in a traffic accident. It was subsequently repaired, being re-erected and re-dedicated in its original location in 2002. The restoration work included the addition of a shallow base beneath the original plinth on which the names of a further five local men who died during the Second World War are recorded. The War Memorials Trust gave £150 towards the work to add the new names.

Details

First World War memorial, erected c1920. In 2002, after being damaged in a traffic accident in 1999, it was re-erected and re-dedicated, including Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: of granite.

DETAILS: the memorial takes the form of a Celtic cross which stands on a small traffic island at the crossroads of School Lane and Green Lane with Yarmouth Road in the village of Hales. It comprises a part polished and part roughly-hewn plinth which stands on a shallow base added in 2002. A tall shaft rises from the plinth and tapers in rectangular section to a Celtic wheel-head cross which bears the raised HIS Christogram in Gothic lettering. The dedicatory inscription on the polished W face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN/ UNDYING REMEMBRANCE OF THESE MEN / OF HALES AND HECKINGHAM / WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR / THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918 / MAY THEY REST IN PEACE/ HECKINGHAM / [NAMES]. The dedicatory inscription on the E face of the plinth reads HALES / [NAMES] / " PASS FRIEND. ALL'S WELL". The names of the fallen are inscribed on the side of the plinth facing their respective village. The corresponding sides of the modern base bear the names of the men who died during the Second World War.

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
Roll of Honour, accessed 28 October 2016 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Hales.html
War Memorials Trust, accessed 28 October 2016 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=307
War Memorials Online, accessed 20 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/135040

End of official list entry

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