Yateley War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial of 1920, updated after the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.

Reasons for Designation

Yateley War Memorial, which stands on Reading Road, 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 conflicts of the C20 and C21.
 
Architectural interest:
 
*     a well-crafted Calvary-type First World War memorial, with later good quality stone walling.

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. One such memorial was raised in Yateley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 42 members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War.
 
The memorial was built at a cost of £350 on land donated by the Mason sisters, and was unveiled in April 1920 by General Lord Horne (1861–1929) G C B, K C M G . The memorial was added to after the Second World War, the Malayan Emergency and C21 Afghan conflicts.

Details

First World War memorial of 1920, updated after the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.
 
MATERIALS: timber super-structure, with embossed bronze plaques, and limestone base and walling.
 
DETAILS: the tall wooden memorial is set-back from the Reading Road. It takes the form of a large hooded Calvary, with the figure of Christ Crucified, carved in the round. In the apex of the hood there is a plaque with acorn-shaped pendant mouldings to either side. The plaque has the letters 'I.N.R.I' carved in relief (from the Latin phrase 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum' meaning 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews', as per the notice Pontius Pilate had nailed over Jesus as he lay dying on the cross.)
 
Set back below the base of the cross, there are two First World War, bronze memorial tablets which are embossed with names of the 42 fallen from the local community. They are set within a timber surround, the uprights of which have square bosses, carved in a flower pattern. The memorial stands on a base formed of three stone steps which are inscribed with the commemorative text 'TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN OF YATELEY / WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919 / GRANT O LORD ETERNAL REST / GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIEND'.
 
Behind and to the sides of the First World War memorial, there is a c-shaped, low stone wall. The wall steps up and flares as it terminates on both sides, and supports stone tablets inscribed with names of the 26 fallen from the Second World War. They also carry the date inscription '1939-1945'.

The steps of the main monument also commemorate a soldier who died in the Malayan Emergency of 1956. A latter wooden plaque with the title 'AFGHANISTAN' has been added to the mid-section of the cross, commemorating Marine Adam Brown, who was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated on 1 August 2010, in the Sangin district of Helmand province.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 10 August 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/102801/
Imperial War Museum, accessed 10 August 2018 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/21267?utm_source=ukniwm&utm_medium=rw&utm_campaign=wmalaunch

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