Summary
First World War memorial obelisk, unveiled 1920.
Reasons for Designation
Butterwick War Memorial Obelisk, which stands in St Andrew's churchyard, 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 First World War.
Architectural interest:
* An elegant granite obelisk in the Classical style;
* Degree of survival: unusually, the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.
Group value:
* With the Grade-I listed Church of St Andrew.
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 Butterwick as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 19 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 9 October 1920 by Major Oswald Bissell Giles in a ceremony led by Reverend John Robert Trotter. The memorial was built by Thomas Kent, monumental masons of Boston, Lincolnshire (also responsible for the war memorials at Coningsby, Freiston, Leverton, and Skirbeck Quarter, all Grade II-listed).
Details
The memorial is located next to the churchyard path, immediately to the south of the Church of St Andrew (Grade I-listed). It stands within a square, kerbed, enclosure which is surfaced with green glass chippings. The memorial itself takes the form of an obelisk of polished red Aberdeen granite. It has a square stone base, above which there is a three-stage pedestal in granite, each step with a chamfered edge. The obelisk is in the same stone, and has a four-sided, tapering shaft with a pyramidal top.
The upper stage of the base is inscribed on the western and southern faces with incised lettering, painted in silver. The main inscription is the same on both sides, with names listed below, reading ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF/ BUTTERWICK TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN FROM/ THIS VILLAGE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR (1914-1918).
This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 25 September 2017.
