Fornham St Martin War Memorial
St Martin's Churchyard, The Street, Fornham St Martin, Suffolk, IP31 1SW
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454305
- Date first listed:
- 07-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Fornham St Martin War Memorial
- Statutory Address:
- St Martin's Churchyard, The Street, Fornham St Martin, Suffolk, IP31 1SW
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1454305
- Date first listed:
- 07-Mar-2018
- List Entry Name:
- Fornham St Martin War Memorial
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Martin's Churchyard, The Street, Fornham St Martin, Suffolk, IP31 1SW
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- St Martin's Churchyard, The Street, Fornham St Martin, Suffolk, IP31 1SW
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Suffolk
- District:
- West Suffolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Fornham St. Martin
- National Grid Reference:
- TL8524266987
Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled on 3 April 1921.
Reasons for Designation
Fornham St Martin War Memorial, which is situated in St Martin’s 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 First World War.
Architectural interest:
* a well-executed wheel-head cross memorial.
Group value:
* with the Grade II*-listed Church of St Martin.
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 Fornham St Martin as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 15 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was erected by Mr F H Goddard (builder) of Bury St Edmunds, who built several other war memorials in nearby parishes. The memorial was unveiled on 3 April 1921 by Lieutenant-Colonel Long and dedicated by the rector, Reverend H Buckton.
Details
First World War memorial, 1921.
DESCRIPTION: Fornham St Martin War Memorial is located at the northernmost corner of the churchyard of the Church of St Martin (Grade II*-listed), beside the main road through the village.
The memorial is of rough-hewn, grey granite and takes the form of a wheel-head cross with a tapering, four-sided shaft. The north face of the cross-head has five raised circular bosses, one to the centre and to each of the four cross arms. The shaft rises from a tapering, four-sided plinth surmounting a single-stepped, square base.
The main inscription is in leaded lettering to a smooth, inset panel to the north face of the plinth and reads, TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ (14 NAMES)/ ALL OF THIS PARISH, WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR KING AND COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1919./ “THEY DID THEIR DUTY.”/ ALSO OF (1 NAME).
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 26 January 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/5196
War Memorials Online, accessed 26 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/130796
Other
‘The Challenge of the Dead. Stirring Addresses at Fornham St Martin. Memorial to the Village Fallen Soldiers’, Bury Free Press, (9 April 1921), pp 2
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jul-2026 at 05:23:26.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.