Berrynarbor War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Berrynarbor War Memorial, which stands in the 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: a simple yet poignant granite memorial cross in the Celtic style;
* Group value: with the Church of St Peter (Grade II*-listed) and numerous churchyard monuments and the Lych Gate, all listed at Grade II.

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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Berrynarbor as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was unveiled on 14 April 1920 by Mrs Penn Curzon OBE in commemoration of eight local servicemen who died in the First World War, one of whom had been serving in the American Expeditionary Force. Following the Second World War the names of those who died in that conflict were added, including one woman, Sister Jane Malcolm, and five men including a Czech airman.

Details

The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Peter (Grade II*-listed). In granite, it takes the form of a wheel-head cross. The cross shaft rises from a tapering pedestal, rectangular on plan, which stands on a two-stepped base. The memorial stands on a small square pavement enclosed by a low stone kerb.

The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the pedestal reads TO THE/ UNFADING MEMORY OF/ OUR FALLEN WHO DIED FOR US/ 1914 – 1918/ (8 NAMES)/ ST. JOHN XV.13. The later Second World War dedication to the right-hand side of the pedestal reads ALSO OF THE FALLEN/ 1939 – 1945./ (6 NAMES).


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 10 March 2017.

Sources

Websites
Devon Heritage, War Memorials, accessed 9 January 2017 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Berrynarbor/TheWarMemorial.htm
War Memorials Register, accessed 10 March 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/46061

Other
"Berrynarbor", North Devon Journal, 15 April 1920, p7

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