Attleborough War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 27 June 1920, with additions for later conflicts.

Reasons for Designation

Attleborough War Memorial, which is situated at the junction of Queen’s Road with Exchange Street, 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:

* an elegant cross bottonée war memorial which demonstrates fine craftsmanship in the carved details to the cross and pedestal.

Group value:

* with the Grade II-listed building Cyprus House and the Grade II-listed village pump.

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 Attleborough as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

It was unveiled on Sunday 27 June 1920 by the Earl Albemarle and dedicated by the Bishop of Norwich. The memorial was erected by Mr A J Harrison of Attleborough and it cost around £350, which was met by public subscription. Commemorating 101 local servicemen who died in the First World War, the memorial was designed by Sir Charles Nicholson (1867 – 1949). Nicholson was a prominent ecclesiastical architect and was also responsible for Huddersfield War Memorial (Grade II*) and Rugby School War Memorial (Grade II).

The names of those who died in later conflicts were subsequently added to the memorial; 24 men who died in the Second World War and one man who died in the Korean War.

Stone panels were affixed to the plinth at a later date carrying a renewed inscription and names.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920, with additions for later conflicts.

DESCRIPTION: Attleborough war memorial is located on a triangular traffic island at the junction of Queen’s Road with Exchange Street. It is in close proximity to the Grade II-listed building Cyprus House and the Grade II-listed Village Pump.

The memorial is of Doulton stone and takes the form of a cross bottonée above a decorative moulded collar around an octagonal shaft. This rises from an octagonal pedestal with paired lancet niches to each face carved with gothic tracery. The pedestal surmounts an octagonal plinth with moulded cap and foot; later stone plaques are affixed to each face. The whole stands on a four-stepped, octagonal base.

The plaques affixed to the plinth carry the inscriptions and names in incised lettering, painted black. The principal inscription is to the east face and reads, TO THE /GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN HONOURED/ MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF ATTLEBOROUGH/ WHO DIED IN THE/ SERVICE OF THEIR/ COUNTRY. The names of the 101 servicemen who died are recorded on the next six plaques (following a anticlockwise direction round the memorial) with each column of names preceded by the dates 1914-1918.

The 24 names of the servicemen who died in the Second World War are listed on the south and south-east facing plaques, with each column of names preceded by the dates, 1939-1945.

A final dedication to a serviceman killed in a later conflict is also to the south-east plaque, 1950-1953/ KOREAN WAR/ (NAME).

Sources

Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 18 December 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/19592
War Memorials Online, accessed 18 December 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/207515/

Other
Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal (20 September 1919), pp2
The Diss Express, and Norfolk and Suffolk Journal, (02 July 1920), pp5
Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal, (03 July 1920), pp3

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