Budleigh Salterton War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 1922, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Budleigh Salterton War Memorial, which stands at the junction of Salting Hill and Coastguard Hill, 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 made in the conflicts of the C20;
    
Architectural interest: 
*     A slender, elegant memorial cross in granite, standing in a prominent position in the manner of a daymark;

Group value:
*     With 20-38, Coastguard Road and Associated Outbuildings Including the Rocket Cart House and Wash House, Boundary Wall, Coal Sheds and WCs and Linking Steps to Boathouse (Grade II).

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 Budleigh Salterton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 45 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War, including two women who served in the Voluntary Aid Detachment: Commandant Harriet Barton MBE (d1919), who established the town’s VAD hospital; and Nurse Phyliss Maltby (d1918) who served in hospitals in Devon, Malta, and Birmingham during the war. The memorial cross was unveiled on 11 November 1922 by Major-General Sir Louis Bois and dedicated by the vicar, Reverend TA Edmonds.

Following the Second World War the names of 38 service personnel who died in that conflict were added to the memorial, as were the details of 10 civilians who died as a result of enemy action.

Details

The tall granite memorial stands in a prominent position at the junction of Salting Hill and Coastguard Hill, overlooking the sea in the manner of a daymark. The cliff-top on which it stands overlooks the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site. The memorial takes the form of a plain, slender, Latin cross standing on a small tapered pedestal. The pedestal is raised on a single step.

The principal dedicatory inscription is recorded in applied metal lettering on the upper surface of the step, reading: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL AND HONOURED MEMORY/ OF THOSE FROM THIS PARISH WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY/ DURING THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ ALSO OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR 1939 – 1945/ WHOSE NAMES ARE INSCRIBED ON THE PLINTH.

The First World War names are listed alphabetically on the front and rear faces of the cross shaft. The names of the Second World War service personnel are listed on the front and side faces of the pedestal, whilst an inscription on the rear face reads: IN MEMORY OF THOSE RESIDENTS/ WHO LOST THEIR LIVES BY ENEMY ACTION/ 1939 – 1945./ (10 NAMES).

The cross stands on a paved and cobbled octagonal area, enclosed by low posts from which a chain is suspended.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 22 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/25235
War Memorials Online, accessed 22 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/98913/
Devon Heritage: Budleigh Salterton First World War, accessed 22 June 2017 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Budleigh%20Salterton/BudleighSaltertonWarMemorial1914to1918.htm
Devon Heritage: Budleigh Salterton, Second World War, accessed 22 June 2017 from http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Budleigh%20Salterton/BudleighWarMemorial1939to1945.htm
Devon Remembers, accessed 22 June 2017 from http://www.devonremembers.co.uk/content/memorials/budleigh-salterton-war-memorial

Other
“Salterton’s War Memorial”, Western Times, 17 November 1922, p2

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