Wrangle War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial unveiled 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Wrangle War Memorial, which stands in the junction of Church Lane and Church End, 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 tall Calvary cross in Weldon stone standing in a prominent position.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Mary and St Nicholas (Grade I) and the Old Vicarage (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 Wrangle as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.The memorial was unveiled on 17 October 1920.It was built by the monumental mason Mr George Henry Linnell of Grantham and was unveiled by Major Oliver Cooper following a church service accompanied by a muffled peal on the bells.Following the Second World War an additional inscription was added to the memorial.While originally located on a grassy mound surrounded by a chain link fence the area surrounding the memorial has subsequently been encroached upon so that it now stands on a small island in the centre of a road junction.In 2014 a grant of £1,900 was given to Wrangle Parish Council by the Co-Operative:the memorial was cleaned and the names re-cut and re-painted.

Details

The war memorial stands in a small circular island at the junction of Church Lane and Church End,close to the Church of St Mary and St Nicholas(Grade I)and to the Old Vicarage(Grade II*).It is a Calvary cross of Weldon Stone.The cross is raised on a three-stepped base,octagonal in plan,surmounted by an octagonal plinth.The base of the cross is formed by a pyramidal pedestal from which rises the cross shaft,octagonal in section to the moulded collar,surmounted by a hooded Calvary scene.The figure of Christ on the cross is carved on the western face with the Madonna and Child on the eastern side of the cross head.Both the plinth and the top step of the base are inscribed on four sides with black painted incised lettering.On the west faces the inscription reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/AND IN GRATEFUL/AND UNDYING MEMORY/OF THE 27 MEN FROM/ WRANGLE/WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/IN THE GREAT WAR/1914-1919./AND IN HONOUR OF ALL/THOSE WHO SERVED THEIR/KING AND COUNTRY./1939-1945/[NAMES].On the northern side names are inscribed followed by MAY THEY REST IN PEACE/AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN/AND IN THE MORNING/WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.The eastern face has a list of names followed by LET LIGHT PERPETUAL/SHINE UPON THEM./AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM,/NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN.The southern face records further names followed by REST ETERNAL GRANT TO/THEM O LORD./THEY SHALL GROW NOT OLD/AS WE THAT ARE LEFT GROW OLD.

Sources

Books and journals
Credland, M, The First World War Memorials of Lincolnshire, (2014), p198

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 3 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/59812
War Memorials Online, accessed 3 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/244658/
Wrangle Parish Council, ‘War Memorial’, accessed 3 January 2017 from http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Wrangle/imageLibrary.asp?catId=35695

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