Healing War Memorial

Summary

First World War Memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Healing War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reason:

Historic interest:

* it is 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.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Previously, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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.

The war memorial in Healing was put up to honour the eleven men from the village who died in the First World War. A memorial service conducted by the Revd John Charles Caitlin was held in the Church of St Peter and St Paul on 30 April 1921. Afterwards a procession made its way to the memorial and included Major Sir Ernest Sleight and Lady Sleight of Stallingborough, local councillors, boy scouts and schoolchildren from the public elementary school. Margaret Wintringham MP JP of Little Grimsby Hall near Louth performed the unveiling after which friends and relatives of the fallen laid floral tributes. The names of four men who fell in the Second World War were later added.

Details

First World War Memorial, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIALS: stone.

PLAN: the memorial stands at the corner of Low Road and The Avenue. It is in the form of a slightly tapering obelisk with a stylised Latin cross carved in relief at the top. The memorial stands upon a square plinth and a two-stepped base. On two sides of the obelisk are metal plaques. One is inscribed IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF HEALING WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR, followed by their names, and the other is inscribed IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF HEALING WHO FELL IN THE SECOND GREAT WAR, followed by their names.

Sources

Books and journals
Credland, Michael, The First World War Memorials of Lincolnshire, (2016)

Websites
UK Inventory of War Memorials, accessed 6 March 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/search

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