Badingham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial obelisk, unveiled 1920, with later additions.

Reasons for Designation

Badingham War Memorial, which stands the in 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;
* the Roll of Honour is unusual in including the name of a female casualty, Bessie Carley, who served in the Territorial Force Nursing Service.

Architectural interest:

* a simple yet poignant war memorial obelisk in granite.

Group value:

* with the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade I).

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 Badingham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Erected by Mr G Dale of Framlingham, it was unveiled and dedicated on 5 December 1920 by the Venerable JGR Darling, Rector of Eyke and Archdeacon of Suffolk.

The names of those parishioners who died during the Second World War, and one further parishioner who died during the First World War, were subsequently added to the memorial. Now, nine First World War servicemen and one woman, Assistant Matron Bessie Carley RRC (Territorial Force Nursing Service, d1920) are commemorated by the memorial, and four Second World War servicemen.

Details

The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade I), in a prominent position to the south-west of the church. It comprises an obelisk on a plinth, square on plan, and two-stepped base. It is carved from pale grey granite and stands approximately 2.3m high.

The main inscription in raised leaded lettering on the front face of the plinth reads IN HONOUR OF THE MEN OF THIS/ PARISH WHO FOUGHT AND IN EVER/ GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE/ WHO FELL, FOR GOD AND KING, FOR/ RIGHT, FOR FREEDOM AND FOR/ PEACE IN THE GREAT WAR./ 1914-1918./ (9 NAMES). Below, on the front face of the upper step, the inscription continues “SEE YE TO IT,/ THAT THESE SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN.”

A further inscription in raised leaded lettering on the east face of the plinth reads THIS/ MONUMENT WAS ERECTED/ BY/ THE PARISHIONERS/ OF/ BADINGHAM.

A later inscription, also in raised leaded lettering, was added to the south face of the plinth and reads AND OF THOSE WHO FELL/ IN THE WORLD WAR/ 1939–1945/ (3 NAMES)/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

The north face of the plinth records two further names and dates of death in raised leaded lettering, one each from the First and Second World Wars.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 6 June 2017 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5422
War Memorials Online, accessed 6 June 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/189409/
Roll of Honour - Badingham, Suffolk, accessed 31 October 2017 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Suffolk/Badingham.html

Other
'Badingham War Memorial', Framlingham Weekly News, Saturday 11 December 1920

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