Chiddingfold War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial,1923 with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Chiddingfold War Memorial 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 community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an ornate and striking limestone wheel-headed cross;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed).

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 the country, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 Chiddingfold as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Parish records suggest the memorial was erected in 1923 and it commemorates the local servicemen who died during the First World War and Margaret Trevenen Arnold (45 names in total). Margaret, with her sister Ruth, had joined the Red Cross and in 1915 she trained as a nurse at Hilders Hospital in Haslemere, a newly-established Red Cross war hospital. Margaret was one of the first volunteer nurses to serve abroad, at a hospital in Le Treport, 60 miles from the Somme valley. She died of pneumonia on 12 March 1916 and is buried in Le Treport Military Cemetery.

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the 14 fallen of that conflict. 

In 2014 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from the War Memorials Trust.

Details

MATERIALS: limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Chiddingfold War Memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary (Grade I-listed).

The memorial consists of a wheel-headed cross on top of a tall tapering octagonal shaft. The shaft rises from a square plinth on a three-stepped base. The dedications and names are incised into the plinth and steps.

The First World War dedication is located on the front face of the plinth and reads: TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY/ OF THOSE/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE. Inscribed on the other sides of the plinth are the names of those who died (45 NAMES). Below this on the top step is the following dedication for the Second World War: ALSO IN MEMORY OF THOSE OTHERS OF THIS PARISH/ WHO DIED FOR FREEDOM AND OUR COUNTRY 1939 – 1945 (14 NAMES).

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, 5 June 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Trust, accessed 21 Oct 2016 from www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=1319
War Memorials Online, accessed 5 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/100617
War Memorials Register, accessed 5 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/23504

Other
'War Memorial, St Mary's Church, Chiddingfold', SMR Record 20566 (Surrey County Council)

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