Summary
A First World War memorial, erected in the 1920s; altered after the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Winterborne Stickland war memorial 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 simple yet poignant stone memorial cross.
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 750,000 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 Winterborne Stickland, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 12 local parishioners who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial was erected in the 1920s, and is shown on the 2nd revision of the Ordnance Survey County Series 1:2500 map sheet (1923-1933). The names of six parishioners who died during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Details
A First World War memorial, erected in the 1920s; altered after the Second World War. The stone memorial stands in a public garden, bounded by flint and brick walls on three sides, in front of a former Primitive Chapel (1877). The memorial is a simple wheel-head Celtic stone cross, with carved knotwork to the head and a central ‘IHS’ roundel. The cross stands on a simple plinth, above a stepped platform. The rear of the memorial is roughly finished, whilst the front and sides have been worked to a smooth finish. The principal face of the plinth is inscribed with metal lettering: IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THE HONOUR/ AND FREEDOM OF THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 and the names of the 12 men who lost their lives in the First World War. Below this on the top step of the platform is similarly inscribed the names of the six parishioners who died in the Second World War, with the dates 1939-1945 below.
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