Icomb War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Icomb War Memorial, erected during the early 1920s, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as a poignant reminder of the sacrifice made by the parish of Icomb during the global conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as a modest but well carved memorial taking the form of a Celtic wheel-head cross with a tapering shaft on a two-stepped square base.

Group value:

* the memorial is situated directly adjacent to The Old Post Office, Corner Cottage and Home Farmhouse and Adjoining Stable Block (all 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 750,000 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 Icomb as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First (and later Second) World War.

The memorial is likely to have been erected at some point during the early 1920s, although the precise date is unknown. It was originally enclosed by a post and chain fence and stood on a triangular grass island at the junction of two roads at the centre of the village. By February 1930 improvements to the memorial’s setting were being discussed, with suggestions to enclose the quadrilateral piece of grass with oak posts and chains and a concrete kerb. The District and County Councils approved these proposals in April 1930. Further names were subsequently added to the memorial following the Second World War. The posts and chains surrounding the memorial have since been removed, the concrete kerbing has been replaced with stone and the area on which the memorial stands has also decreased in size.

Details

A First World War memorial, erected in the early 1920s, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIALS: the memorial is constructed of stone with a brass plaque.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a Celtic wheel-head cross with a tapering shaft, rising from a two-stepped, square base. There is a brass plaque bearing an inscribed dedication affixed to the front (north) face of the shaft. The plaque reads 1914-1918/ (NAMES & REGIMENTS)/ 1939-1945/ (NAMES & REGIMENTS).

The memorial is set on a raised, grassed quadrilateral plot with a planted bed and stone kerbing along its border.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online "Icomb", accessed 28 November 2018 from http://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/137932
Imperial War Museum "ICOMB CROSS WW1 AND WW2", accessed 28 November 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20866

Other
“Icomb War Memorial”, Cheltenham Chronicle, (15 February 1930), p4
“War Memorial”, Cheltenham Chronicle, (12 April 1930), p2

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