Martin Dales War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial cross, unveiled 1920, restored 2017.

Reasons for Designation

Martin Dales War Memorial, which stands on Martin Dales Drove, 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 war memorial cross in Portland stone.

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 Martin Dales as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 10 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was unveiled in March 1920 by Mrs E Crowden, who had also donated the site on which the memorial originally stood. The dedication ceremony began with a service at St Hugh’s Mission Church, conducted by the Rev HCG Robertson after which the congregation walked in procession to the site on the north side of Martin Dales Drove. At a later date, c1967, the memorial was moved a short distance to the south of the road, outside the village hall.

In 2015 the memorial was conserved with grant aid from the War Memorials Trust and two years later further grant aid was given by the Trust towards the reinstatement of the missing Latin cross-head, which had been lost following storm damage incurred sometime after 2000. Photographs taken in 2000 show the memorial surrounded by a low chain, which had been removed by 2014.

Details

MATERIALS: Portland stone, concrete.

DESCRIPTION: the tall stone war memorial is located in front of St Hugh’s Church Hall. It takes the form of a Latin cross rising from a capital with flower moulding, on a tapering shaft. The cross shaft stands on a plinth, square on plan, with a four-stepped base (the lower level of which is made of concrete). The front face of the plinth bears the inscription TO THE GLORY OF GOD./ AND IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN OF/ MARTIN DALES/ WHO FELL NOBLY FIGHTING FOR GOD AND RIGHT/ AND LIBERTY, IN THE GREAT WAR, 1914 – 1918/ (10 NAMES)/ “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS”.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 13 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/54147
War Memorials Online, accessed 13 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/187589

Other
“Martin Dales”, Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 20 March 1920, p8

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