Flitcham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Flitcham War Memorial, which is situated within an enclosed roadside garden on Anmer Road (B1153) at the junction with Church Road, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:
* as a simple but well-executed stone obelisk.

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 Flitcham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Flitcham war memorial was erected by May 1920. The memorial commemorates 24 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and two men who fell in the Second World War. It was decided to locate the memorial within a garden on the corner of a central road junction, where it would be easily visible from the street but also enclosed to provide a contemplative space for mourners and visitors.

The inscription and names were originally incised into the stone, but have since been replaced with a slate plaque.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: Stone, slate.

DESCRIPTION: Flitcham War Memorial is located at the centre of the village, within an enclosed roadside garden on Anmer Road (B1153) at the junction with Church Road.

The memorial takes the form of a stone obelisk rising from a tapering, four-sided plinth with moulded tiers at its foot, and a single step stone base beneath. The plinth is surmounted by triangular pediments to each side with moulded cornicing. The names and inscriptions are incised on a slate plaque affixed to the west side of the plinth. The dedication reads: IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN WHO FELL IN/ THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918/ (24 NAMES)/ IN MEMORY OF THE MEN/ WHO FELL IN THE 1939-45 WAR/ (2 NAMES).

The memorial is set within a small triangular garden. It is enclosed to the west by the continuation of a dwarf boundary wall of coursed stone blocks and rounded coping, with a small metal gate allowing access to the memorial. The rest of the garden is bounded by a hedge.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 22 May 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1317
War Memorials Online, accessed 22 May 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/163779/

Other
Thetford and Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal, (1 May 1920), pp12

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