Hitcham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Hitcham war memorial, which is situated in Hitcham Lane on a grass verge at the roadside to the south of St Mary’s Church, 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:
* An elegant Latin cross memorial with finely carved details;

Group value:
* For its relationship with the Grade I-listed Church of St Mary.

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 Hitcham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 18 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Historic maps indicate that it was erected not long after the end of the war.

The names of four servicemen who lost their lives during the Second World War were added later.

Details

First World War memorial with Second World War additions.

DESCRIPTION: Hitcham War Memorial is situated in Hitcham Lane on a grass verge at the roadside to the south of the Grade I-listed Church of St Mary.

The memorial takes the form of a stone, Latin cross-head atop an octagonal, tapering column with moulded foot. To each face of the column are small, recessed arches at its base, directly above the foot. The column rises from a moulded pedestal, surmounting a square plinth with a three-stepped, octagonal base beneath. The pedestal has a chamfered top with a moulded scroll design to the bottom of each corner. The plinth consists of a square block on a chamfered foot. The pedestal carries the principal inscription to three sides, with the names on the plinth beneath. A narrow square block separates the pedestal and plinth and bears the dates of the conflicts to two faces.

The principal inscription and dates are carved with raised lettering, while the names are incised. The west face reads: THEY SLEEP WITH/ THE EMPIRE'S BEST/ AND NOBLEST SONS/ (6 NAMES); the south face reads: WHO IN THE/ GLORIOUS MORNING/ OF THEIR DAYS/ 1914-1918/ (6 NAMES); and the west face reads FOR ENGLAND'S /SAKE LOST ALL BUT/ ENGLAND'S PRAISE/ (6 NAMES)

The north side of the plinth carries the four names of those who died during the Second World War, underneath the dates 1939 – 1945.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 1 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/8267
War Memorials Online, accessed 1 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/222449/
Hitcham War Memorial, accessed 1 June 2017 from http://buckinghamshireremembers.org.uk/memorials/p346.htm

Other
OS Map 1:2500 (1925 edn)

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