Haverhill War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial by mason E C Green, unveiled on Sunday 21 November 1920, with later additions.

Reasons for Designation

Haverhill 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;
* Design: an elegant and striking Latin cross sited within its original well-executed enclosure.

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, 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 Haverhill Cemetery as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was erected by inhabitants of the town through public subscription and created by mason E C Green. It commemorates the 140 local servicemen who fell during the First World War.

The memorial was unveiled by General Sir Charles Briggs on Sunday 21 November 1920 with approximately 5,000 people in attendance. The surrounding path layout is original to the memorial and appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1926 and the low stone surrounding walls can be seen on photographs of the unveiling ceremony.

The names of those who fell in the Second World War were added later as were plaques commemorating the 42 men of the Commonwealth and Allied Nations buried nearby in the cemetery.

In 2016 two additional names were added to the war memorial in lead lettering.

Details

MATERIALS: Aberdeen granite cross with York stone stepped base.

DESCRIPTION: Haverhill War Memorial is situated in Haverhill Cemetery on the Withersfield Road.

The monument comprises a Latin cross with tapering polygonal shaft on a stepped moulded plinth bearing a carved wreath and inset with panels. At the base of the shaft on the first step of the plinth is incised: FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH / THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED BY THE / INHABITANTS OF HAVERHILL IN / GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE WHO / LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE / GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919 / "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS / FRIENDS". The other panels carry the names of the fallen.

The plinth rises on a three-stepped octagonal base on an octagonal paved surround enclosed by a low stone wall which bears granite panels to commemorate those who fell during the Second World War. One carries the dedication: THESE PANELS WERE PLACED/ HERE BY THE INHABITANTS/ OF HAVERHILL IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF THOSE WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945. The other plaques carry the names of the fallen.

Further low stone walls enclose paths leading up to the memorial. In front of the memorial on one path is a plaque set into the paving which reads:1914 + 1919/ WE WILL/ REMEMBER THEM/ 1939 + 1945.

Another plaque reads: IN MEMORY OF/ FORTY-TWO MEN OF THE/ BRITISH COMMONWEALTH/ EMPIRE AND ALLIED NATIONS/ WHO DIED IN THEIR COUNTRY'S/ SERVICE AND WHOSE MORTAL/ REMAINS REST NEAR/ THIS CROSS.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Trust, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=1316
War Memorials Online, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/194278
War Memorials Register, accessed 9 Nov 2016 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5199

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