Horsford War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, with additions for later conflicts.

Reasons for Designation

Horsford war memorial, which is situated in All Saint’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 the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* A well-executed granite pillar memorial.

Group value:

* With the Grade II*-listed Parish Church of All Saints and the Grade II-listed Horsford Hall.

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

Like many Norfolk war memorials, the example at Horsford is situated within the churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected not long after the end of the First World War, with money raised via public subscription. It commemorates 26 local servicemen who died in the conflict.

Following the Second World War, the seven names of those who died in that conflict were added to the memorial. A further dedication and the name of a single casualty from a late C20 conflict were also added at a later date.

The war memorial underwent renovation in 2014 with the lettering renewed.

Details

First World War memorial, with additions for later conflicts.

DESCRIPTION: Horsford War Memorial is located in the churchyard to the south of the Parish Church of All Saints (Grade II*-listed). It is situated to the east of the path leading to the church; the Grade II-listed Horsford Hall is to the opposite side of the road.

The memorial is of polished, grey granite and takes the form of a square pillar surmounted by a two-tiered pyramidal cap. The pillar has a band of roll moulding just below the cap. It rises from a square plinth with moulded cap upon a single-step chamfered base. The whole stands on a narrow stone block.

The inscriptions and names are in leaded lettering, painted black, on rough-finished sections inset into the polished surfaces of the memorial. The principal inscription is to the south face of the lower-tier of the pyramidal cap and reads IN SACRED AND LOVING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO/ FELL IN THE DEFENCE OF JUSTICE AND RIGHT/ IN THE GREAT WAR. 1914 – 1919. The south face of the plinth carries the words “THEIR NAMES LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.”, with the following written directly below to the base THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY THE/ RELATIVES, FRIENDS AND PARISHIONERS/ OF HORSFORD.

The 26 names of those who died in the First World War are listed to south and west faces of the pillar, including their date of death; the names of the seven casualties from the Second World War are also to the west face and set out in a similar fashion under the dates 1939 – 1945. To the east face of the pillar is the name of the single casualty from a later C20 conflict with the words REMEMBERING ALSO OTHERS/ KILLED SERVING THEIR COUNTRY directly above to the pyramidal cap.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 8 September 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19681
War Memorials Online, accessed 8 September 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/210429/

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