Catfield War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial unveiled on 5 November 1919 with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Catfield War Memorial, which is situated on a village green adjacent to the entrance to All Saints Churchyard, 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 made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an elegant and dignified Calvary demonstrating a high quality of workmanship;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of All Saints and the Grade II-listed Church Cottage.

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 war memorial was raised at Catfield as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

In the number of men killed, Catfield suffered twice the national average in the First World War. 25 men from a village with a population of around 500 were lost. Ruth Wenn, widow of Captain William Wenn (who is named on the memorial) is understood to have been the memorial’s main benefactor. Ruth Wenn had also lost her brother in the First World War.

The war memorial was erected on a prominent village green adjacent to the entrance to the churchyard. It overlooks fields at the edge of the village. The memorial was dedicated by the Dean of Norwich on 5 November 1919.

In 1983, the war memorial was restored and renovated, and the names of two men who were killed in the Second World War were added.

Details

Catfield War Memorial is located on a village green adjacent to the churchyard of All Saints Church. It is prominently situated at the junction of Hall Road and Church Road overlooking fields and by the path leading to the churchyard entrance. The memorial comprises a finely carved stone Calvary on a long, elegant cross shaft. The head of the memorial has a hipped cap. The tapering cross shaft terminates at its lower section in a four-sided upper plinth with dentilated detailing around the cornice. Beneath is a tapering four-sided plinth with recessed inscription panels and floral relief carvings surrounding. This stands atop a three-stepped, octagonal stone base.

The inscription is incised and reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND TO THE UNDYING MEMORY/ OF/ (NAME)/ CAPTAIN OF THE NORFOLK REGT/ AND OF ALL THE MEN OF/ CATFIELD/ WHO FELL DURING THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ THIS CALVARY IS PLACED HERE/ BY HIS WIFE RUTH WENN// (NAMES)// ALSO OF/ (NAME)/ LIEUT OF THE YORKSHIRE REGT/ BROTHER OF RUTH WENN/ THESE WERE HIS SERVANTS/ IN HIS STEPS THEY TROD/ FOLLOWING THROUGH DEATH/ THE MATYRED SON OF GOD/ VICTOR HE ROSE/ VICTORIOUS TOO SHALL RISE/ THEY WHO HAVE DRUNK/ HIS CUP OF SACRIFICE.

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, 23 November 2017.

Sources

Websites
Catfield History Group, accessed 29 Nov 2016 from http://www.catfield.org.uk/history.htm
War Memorials Register, accessed 29 Nov 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19960
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253733

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry