East Barnet War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

East Barnet 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: as an imposing Celtic cross.

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 in East Barnet 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 is made of Cornish granite from the Bodmin Granite Company - the memorial was delivered by rail from the quarry to New Barnet station, free of charge, in June 1920. It was erected by AE Prentice, a local builder, and soon after unveiled on 27 June 1920 in a ceremony conducted by Canon Overton, Rector of the nearby Church of St Mary. The whole project was overseen by Mrs FA Overton, wife of the Canon, with the assistance of Mr Herbert Bulman and the East Barnet War Memorial Committee, at a total cost of £285 13s 10d. This sum had been raised by subscriptions and public donations, in particular the generous donations of local men WA Vernon (£75.00) and CE Baring Young (£35.00).

The memorial was originally located in the middle of the road junction (now a roundabout) however it was moved circa 1970 to its current position in front of Brookside Methodist Church due to road widening. In November 1995 the name of SF Chapman, one of the local Fallen of the Second World War, was added to the war memorial at the instigation of his daughter Catherine Loveday, with the approval of Barnet Council. Following further research conducted by Ms Loveday it was revealed that there were many more local servicemen who had lost their lives in the Second World War. This prompted the installation of a new Second World War plaque on the memorial in a re-dedication ceremony held on 18 July 2010, attended by circa 500 people including the Mayor of Barnet, local MPs and Counsellors, and school children from Church Hill Road Junior School who helped raise funds for the new plaque.

Details

The memorial is situated at the junction of Church Hill Road and East Barnet Road in East Barnet. It comprises a tall Celtic cross of Cornish granite rising from a tapering plinth, square on plan, with a four-stepped base.

The front and rear faces of the cross and shaft are decorated with Celtic-style knot-work carvings. The plinth bears the inscriptions in lead pinned to the granite and then painted black, which read as follows - front face IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF / THIS VILLAGE WHO LAID DOWN / THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918 / (NAMES); right face 1939 - 1945; rear face (an additional granite plaque) THEY SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES FOR / OUR FREEDOM IN WWII 1939 - 1945 / (NAMES) / AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN / AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.; left face 1914 - 1918. To the front of the plinth rests a small box section for candles, inscribed with LEST WE / FORGET.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 5 June 2017.

Sources

Books and journals
Norrie, Ian, Barnet in Old Photographs, (1993), 146

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 5 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/28298
Barnet Council - East Barnet Village, accessed 19 January 2017 from https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/libraries/local-studies-and-archives/pocket-histories/barnet/east-barnet-village.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 5 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/187990

End of official list entry

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