Tockenham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial cross.

Reasons for Designation

Tockenham War Memorial, which stands in a roadside location at Tockenham Corner, 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 First World War;

Architectural interest:

* a finely-carved wheel-head cross, in the Celtic style and with a reversed sword symbol, with a monumental base and associated enclosure wall;
* unusually, the memorial has not been adapted for Second World War commemoration, and thus retains its original design intent.

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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was erected at Tockenham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by six members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. As well as those who died, the memorial also marks the service of 10 men who returned.

Details

The memorial stands at the northern end of Primrose Hill, to the south of the A3102. Facing south, the memorial comprises a short finely-carved granite wheel-head cross in the Celtic style. The front of the cross is decorated with a relief-carved reversed sword. The cross stands on a rough-hewn plinth, square on plan, with a recessed panel on the front bearing the inscription.

The plinth rises from a tall and wide five-stepped stone base. The whole stands on a paved area that is enclosed to the rear by a coped rubble-stone wall. Each end of the wall finishes with a slightly lower pier in dressed stone, also coped.

The inscription to the front face of the plinth, in incised lettering painted black, reads 1914 – 1918/ (6 NAMES)/ ALSO SERVED/ (10 NAMES). The six names of the men who died are enclosed by a rectangle defined by incised and black-painted lines.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 25 May 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3092
War Memorials Online, accessed 25 May 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/158248

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