Dilton Marsh War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled 8 May 1921, with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Dilton Marsh War Memorial, which is situated at the roadside adjacent to the junction of High Street and The Hollow, 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 wheel-head cross pattée memorial demonstrating fine craftsmanship in the carved depiction of a Sword of Sacrifice.

Group value:

* with the Grade II*-listed Church of Holy Trinity.

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 Dilton Marsh as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 41 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 8 May 1921 by Lady Sybil Phipps and dedicated by the Reverend L R West.

A bronze plaque bearing the names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War was subsequently added to the memorial. Similarly, the name of another casualty from a later conflict was also added.

Details

First World War memorial, 1921, with Second World War additions.

DESCRIPTION: Dilton Marsh War Memorial is located at the roadside adjacent to the junction of High Street and The Hollow, opposite the Church of Holy Trinity (Grade II*-listed).

The memorial takes the form of a wheel-head cross pattée with a tapering rectangular shaft terminating in a two-stepped moulded foot; the front (north-west) face of the shaft has an inverted Sword of Sacrifice carved in relief. The shaft rises from a four-sided plinth, which surmounts a rectangular stone base.

The principal inscription is in incised lettering, painted black, on the north-west face of the plinth and reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO FELL IN/ WAR/ 1914 - 1919/ (41 NAMES)/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.

To the south-west face of the plinth is a bronze plaque with the following in cast raised lettering, IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF DILTON/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE WAR 1939 - 1945/ (13 NAMES). To the left-hand side of the plaque is a dedication in incised lettering, painted black, to a single casualty in a later conflict, 1976 (NAME).

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial stands within an area of hardstanding and is bounded to the north-east, south-east and south-west sides by a low, regular-coursed stone wall with flat stone copings. The north-west side is open with the boundary denoted by a chain supported by two posts.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 17 October 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24275
War Memorials Online, accessed 17 October 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/241661/
‘Dilton Marsh’, Our West Country Family, accessed 17 October 2017 from https://ourwestcountryfamily.org.uk/sample-page/wiltshire/wiltshire-pictures/dilton-marsh/

Other
'Dilton Marsh War Memorial', The Wiltshire Times, (7 May 1921), pp9

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