Glandford and Bayfield War Memorial Cross

Summary

First World War memorial. Latin cross with crucifixion, on a four-stepped base.

Reasons for Designation

Glandford and Bayfield War Memorial Cross, which stands outside the churchyard of the Church of St Martin, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the impact of world events on the local community, and the contribution it made in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* a tall Latin cross with well-executed crucifixion, in granite.

Group value:

* with the Church of St Martin (Grade II*).

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 Glandford as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by all those who lost their lives in the First World War.

Glandford is reputed to be a ‘Thankful Village’ because no names are recorded on the war memorial. Thankful Village is a term coined by Arthur Mee in 1936, referring to places that enjoyed the safe return of all their service personnel from First World War theatres of conflict. More than 50 such villages have been identified in England and Wales. A number of these places have plaques, Rolls of Honour, church windows, and other types of memorial marking the First World War service of parishioners and offering thanks that none lost their lives.

Some 45 Glandford men enlisted for First World War service but it is not included in recent lists of Thankful Villages, probably because at least one local soldier who died, John Cecil Read of Bayfield Brecks (d1916), has been identified. Read is buried in Bancourt British Cemetery. At the time the war memorial was erected in Glandford at the Church of St Martin (Grade II*-listed), however, no names were recorded and its dedication is to all the casualties of the conflict.

The original memorial cross was blown over and damaged. The surviving parts were moved approximately 1km south-east from St Martin’s to the ruined Church of St Margaret (Grade II-listed) at Bayfield. A replica cross was erected at St Martin’s.

Details

Glandford and Bayfield War Memorial is situated beside the path that leads from the road to the churchyard of the Church of St Martin (Grade II*), standing just outside the churchyard gate. The tall granite memorial comprises a Latin cross with crucifixion, standing on a four-stepped base, square on plan. The figure of Christ, carved in the round, makes the sign of blessing. The cross surfaces are roughly stippled.

The second step of the base bears the inscriptions, in incised lettering, reading IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO GAVE/ UP THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR KING AND/ COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-18/ HOLY JESU HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOULS. Most of the letters are filled with a black material, but some words have red initials.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 2 July 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20032
War Memorials Register, accessed 2 July 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/65119
War Memorials Online, accessed 2 July 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/163819/
War Memorials Online, accessed 2 July 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/104013/
Commonwealth War Graves Commission, accessed 2 July 2018 from https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/206246/READ,%20JOHN%20CECIL
Norfolk Heritage Explorer: St Martin's Church, Glandford, accessed 24 July 2018 from http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF6171-St-Martin%27s-Church-Glandford&Index=5772&RecordCount=56881&SessionID=93e6407a-2fe7-47b5-8cc8-cf4584ce8999

Other
'Norfolk War Memorials Project Part II', The Glaven Historian (1992, issue 2) [online, accessed 24 July 2018] http://www.bahs.uk/GH-Files/GH1-5/GH%202.4.pdf

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