Worthing War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1921, with dates and names from later conflicts added.

Reasons for Designation

Worthing War Memorial, Chapel Road, Worthing, 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: as a handsome composition of bronze figurative sculpture on an architectural stone plinth;
* Group value: the memorial stands outside Worthing's Grade II listed town hall, forming part of a civic group.

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. This meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at the great loss of life. One such memorial was raised at Worthing outside the town hall, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Worthing War Memorial was unveiled on 11 April 1921 by Field-Marshal Sir William Robertson. It was made by Joseph Whitehead and Sons and paid for by public subscription through the Worthing Gazette. The dates of the Second World War and a list of the names of the fallen of that conflict were added to the memorial, as have the names of others who fell in subsequent conflicts.

Details

First World War memorial, unveiled 1921, with dates and names from later conflicts added.

MATERIALS: stone and bronze.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a tall square plinth on a stepped base. On the plinth is a bronze sculpture of a soldier holding a rifle in his left hand and his helmet aloft in his right hand. At the top of the plinth on each side is a bronze wreath.

The memorial faces north-east and on the base are the following inscriptions:
OUR GLORIOUS DEAD / 1914-1918/ DUTY NOBLY DONE and below this, ALSO IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN THE WAR / 1939-45

To the rear of the memorial is the following inscription:
THIS MEMORIAL / WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION / RAISED THROUGH THE WORTHING GAZETTE / IT WAS UNVEILED BY / FIELD-MARSHAL SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON BART GCB / ON 11th APRIL 1921

The faces of the plinth and base are inscribed with names (First World War: 660, Second World War: 404).

The memorial is surrounded by a chain, linked to low stone bollards at each corner of the base, and it stands outside the Grade II-listed Worthing Town Hall of 1933-4.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 18 May 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/147
War Memorials Online, accessed 3 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/122302

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