Urchfont War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial cross with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Urchfont War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Michael and All Angels, 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 substantial stone memorial cross.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Michael and All Angels (Grade I) and numerous churchyard monuments and nearby dwellings all listed at 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 Urchfont as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 17 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The names of four parishioners who died during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.

Details

The memorial stands in the southern part of the churchyard, beside the path and close to the Church of St Michael and All Angels (Grade I) and numerous Grade II-listed churchyard monuments.

The stone memorial comprises a large Latin cross rising from a tapering plinth, that stands on a three-stepped base. The west face of the cross is ornamented with a floriated cross carved in low relief, on a pecked background. The front face of the plinth is decorated with a small carved wreath and banner above a raised panel. The incised inscription on the banner reads THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919.

The main inscription, incised and painted on the raised white marble panel, reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO DIED/ IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR KING AND COUNTRY/ (17 NAMES)/ MM THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE MM.

A small white marble tablet has been added to the front face of the upper step of the memorial and bears a carved wreath and banner with an inscription reading THE WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945. Two small rectangular white marble tablets have been added to either side of that tablet, with incised and painted inscriptions recording two each of the four Second World War names.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 23 May 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/43579
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 May 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/241835/

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