Dickleburgh War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1 February 1920, with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Dickleburgh War Memorial, which is situated in 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 this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* an elegant and well-executed Latin cross war memorial;
* Sculptural interest: designed by the noted sculptor Arthur George Walker, known for his sculpture of Florence Nightingale in London (Grade II-listed) and the First World War memorial in the centre of Derby (Grade II-listed).

Group value: for its relationship with the Grade I-listed Church of All Saints and the Grade II-listed school immediately to the south-west of the church.

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.

Dickleburgh War Memorial, like many Norfolk war memorials, is situated within a churchyard and commemorates the 20 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and nine men who fell in the Second World War. The memorial was unveiled on 1 February 1920 by the Reverend W W White of Brockdish (Rural Dean) and, according to a local newspaper, “is the design of a Chelsea sculptor, who was the designer of the Florence Nightingale memorial” (The Diss Express, 6 February 1920). The Florence Nightingale memorial in Waterloo Place, London (Grade II-listed) was designed by Arthur George Walker.

The Second World War names were added in 1949 and unveiled on 11 November that year by two former prisoners of war.

Inside the church there is a roll of honour and a folder for each person who died in the wars. The memorial was renovated in May 2014.

Arthur George Walker (1861-1939) was born in Hackney, London and was a sculptor, painter and fellow of the Royal Academy. Known for his statues of Florence Nightingale and Emmeline Pankhurst in London (both Grade II-listed), Walker was also responsible for a number of First World War memorials including those in Derby, Dartford and Sevenoaks (all Grade II-listed).

Details

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: Dickleburgh War Memorial is located in the churchyard of the Church of All Saints (Grade I-listed). It is prominently situated by the churchyard wall and revealed at street level by a part of the churchyard wall having been removed, with a wrought iron gate inserted allowing direct access to the memorial from the street.

The memorial comprises a stone Latin cross on a collared and footed octagonal shaft. Below the shaft is a three-tiered plinth comprising a large upper section bearing the principal inscription with miniature mock-Corinthian style pilasters at each corner, a centre section of deep moulding, and a slightly wider lower section also bearing inscriptions. Beneath this is a two-stepped square base.

The inscription to the upper panel reads: TO THE GLORY OF/ GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN/ THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918./ "HE THAT LOSETH HIS LIFE/ FOR MY SAKE SHALL FIND IT". Twenty names are inscribed on the adjacent panels. The front face of the central tier carries the inscription 1938/ (1 NAME) while the lower tier is inscribed 1939 – 1945, with eight names to the adjoining faces.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 29 November 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19757
War Memorials Online, accessed 29 November 2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/245222/

Other
Addition of Second World War names, Diss Express, Friday 11 November 1949, p.10
‘Dickleburgh. War Memorial’, The Diss Express, and Norfolk and Suffolk Journal, (6 February 1920).

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