Humberston War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1919, with Second World War additions.

The granite kerbstones surrounding the memorial are included in the listing but the two incense burners are excluded.

Reasons for Designation

Humberston War Memorial, erected in 1919, with Second World War additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a Celtic wheel-head cross atop a trapezoidal plinth.

Group value:

* with the neighbouring Church of St Peter (Grade II*-listed).

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of war 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 unveiled and dedicated at Humberston, Lincolnshire, on 14 May 1919 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by eight local servicemen.

After the Second World War the names of a further nine local servicemen who died in that conflict were added to the memorial.

Details

First World War memorial, 1919, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: of Norwegian granite.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Peter (Grade II*-listed), takes the form of a Celtic wheel-head cross with a trapezoidal plinth, a single-step base and a tall, concrete pedestal. The west-facing arms of the cross are all sculpted with Celtic fretwork panels and all four sides of the pedestal have marble shields inscribed with lines from Laurence Binyon's poem 'For The Fallen' (west side), Rupert Brooke's poem 'The Dead' (east side) and biblical text (north and south sides).

The First World War dedication is inscribed on the plinth's west face and reads IN / LOVING MEMORY / OF THE / PARISHIONERS OF HUMBERSTON / WHO / GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE / GREAT WORLD WAR / FROM 1914 TO 1919. The names of three men who died in this conflict are inscribed on the base below. A marble shield on the pedestal reads PRO PATRIA / THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD / AS WE / THAT ARE LEFT GROW OLD / AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM / NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN / AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN / AND IN THE MORNING/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

On the east side of the memorial, the plinth is inscribed THIS MONUMENT / WAS ERECTED BY / THE / PARISHIONERS OF HUMBERSTON / IN CONJUNCTION WITH / THE PARENTS AND FRIENDS / OF THE DEPARTED / THE PARISH WAR RECORDS ARE PRESERVED / IN A BOOK WHICH IS KEPT IN THE CHURCH. Below, the shield on the pedestal reads THESE LAID THE WORLD AWAY / POURED OUT THE RED/ SWEET WINE OF YOUTH / GAVE UP THE YEARS TO BE / OF WORK AND JOY / AND THAT UNHOPED SERENE / THAT MEN CALL AGE.

On the north and south sides of the memorial, the base is inscribed with the names of the remaining five men who died during the First World War, while the plinth is inscribed 1939-1945 along with the names of the nine local men who died during the Second World War. The shield on the pedestal's north face reads MORE THAN CONQUERORS / THROUGH / HIM THAT LOVED US (Romans 8:37) while that on its south face reads I DESIRE THAT YE FAINT NOT / AT MY / TRIBULATIONS FOR YOU. (Ephesians 3:13).

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the memorial stands in a small enclosure bounded by a Norwegian granite kerb placed on a concrete foundation. This feature is integral to the design of the memorial and is included in the listing. The two incense burners, which are of a later date, are excluded from the listing.

Sources

Websites
Information on Humberston War Memorial from the Imperial War Museum's War Memorials Register, accessed 21 February 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/53539
Information on Humberston War Memorial from the Roll of Honour website, accessed 21 February 2018 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Lincolnshire/Humberston.html
Information on Humberston War Memorial from Lincolnshire County Council's Lincs to the Past website, accessed 21 February 2018 from https://www.lincstothepast.com/MemorialDetails.aspx?objectid=1580245

End of official list entry

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