Summary
First World War memorial, circa 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Holcombe War Memorial, Somerset 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: as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial, which takes the form of a sandstone cross with a wheel head on a tapered shaft.
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, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Holcombe, Somerset as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the nine members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Following the Second World War a further inscription was added to commemorate the fallen of that conflict.
Details
A churchyard First World War memorial cross of circa 1920 with later Second World War additions and alterations after 1945, which stands to the S of the Church of St Andrew, Holcombe, Somerset.
End of official list entry
