Westcombe War Memorial

Summary

A private memorial erected as a village cross in 1913, altered in 1916 to become a war memorial and again in 1917 and 1918 to commemorate losses of the First World War.

Reasons for Designation

Westcombe War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* The memorial is a dignified and sombre stone cross, neatly made and well-proportioned.

Historic interest:

* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact on the local community of the events of the First World War.

* Group value: it has group value with other listed buildings nearby, including Laburnam Cottage, the K6 telephone kiosk and the drinking trough with ornamental grotto.

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 Westcombe, 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 war memorial in Westcombe was originally erected in 1913 as a memorial to Captain Henry Ernst, of the Ernst family of Westcombe House. Subsequently it appears to have been altered, in 1916, to become a war memorial for the village, and to record the names of those lost in the First World War at that point, as recorded by the Shepton Mallet Journal of the 19 September 1916. The dates of the conflict were presumably added after the war had ended.

The memorial appears to have been altered again in 1917, with an inscription to commemorate the capture of Jerusalem by General Allenby, which is recorded as taking place on the 9 December that year. The last alteration to the memorial appears to have taken place in 1918, to commemorate the loss of Commander David de Beauvoir Stocks DSO, also related to the Ernsts of Westcombe House, whose submarine had been lost with all hands in 1918.

Details

A private memorial erected as a village cross in 1913, altered in 1916 to become a war memorial and again in 1917 and 1918 to commemorate losses of the First World War.

MATERIALS: stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of an ornate carved cross which stands atop a tall shaft. Below this is an octagonal plinth with relief panels, and a three-stepped base.

INSCRIPTION: the first inscription is carved in the panels of the plinth and reads: TO THE GREATER/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN/ MEMORY OF/ HENRY/ ERNST/ WESTCOMBE/ AD 1913. Beneath this are the names of parishioners killed in the war. Above this, around the edge of the plinth capping, is a further inscription reading: ALSO OF OUR/ PARISHIONERS/ WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ FOR GOD, KING/ AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 TO 1919. The final inscription is around the top step of the base, and reads: ALSO TO COMMEMORATE THE/ CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM/ DECEMBER 9TH 1917/ BY GENERAL SIR E ALLENBY.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 11 August 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/46351
War Memorials Online, accessed 11 August 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/166041/

Other
Shepton Mallet Journal, 29th September 1916

End of official list entry

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