Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen War Memorial

Summary

First and Second World War memorial. Erected around 1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

Reasons for Designation

Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary Magdalen, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a simple, but well executed Cross of Sacrifice in granite.

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.

Group value:

* with the Grade I-listed Church of St Mary Magdalen and its associated Grade II-listed tombstones.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw an unprecedented wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country, 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.

One such memorial was raised at Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, as permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen War Memorial, like many Norfolk war memorials, was situated within the churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected around 1920. The memorial commemorates 25 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and nine men who fell in the Second World War.

Details

First and Second World War memorial. Erected around 1920 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

MATERIALS: Carved from grey granite.

DESCRIPTION: Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen War Memorial is located in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary Magdalen, Church Road, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, Norfolk. It is prominently situated just inside the churchyard entrance, to the left of the path leading to the church. It comprises a smooth granite plain cross, with a sword of sacrifice carved in relief to the front face, on a tapering plinth with rounded cap, and marble block base atop a concrete foundation. Whole within a kerbed square, filled with gravel. The plinth and base bear the inscriptions in leaded lettering.

The inscription reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY / OF THE MEN FROM THIS PARISH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1919 / "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE" / THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY THE / PARISHIONERS OF MAGDALEN // LEST WE FORGET // (NAMES) // "THESE DIED IN WAR / THAT WE AT PEACE MIGHT LIVE / THESE GAVE THEIR BEST / SO WE OUR BEST SHOULD GIVE, / NOT FOR THEMSELVES - / FOR JUSTICE, FREEDOM, RIGHT/ THEY FOUGHT, AND BID US / FORWARD TO THE FIGHT” // (NAMES) // 1939 – 1945 / (NAMES)

Sources

Websites
Information on war memorials from the Imperial War Museum database, accessed 13 July 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/53456
Information on war memorials from the War Memorials Online database, accessed 13 July 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/258896

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