Hagley War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial dating from 1922, later altered to commemorate subsequent wars.

Reasons for Designation

Hagley War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the memorial is a dignified and sombre stone cross, neatly made and well-proportioned.

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact on the local community of the events of the First World War.

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 Hagley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 20 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The Hagley War Memorial Committee was formed in 1922. At this time the Kidderminster Road was in the process of being constructed, creating a new intersection with Park Road. It was at this junction that a piece of land on which to erect the war memorial was donated to the Committee by Viscount Cobham. Work on constructing the memorial started in April 1922 (as reported in the Birmingham Daily Gazette). It was designed by Mr Scott Davies of Dudley and erected by Messrs C R Davis and Sons of Old Hill. It was unveiled on Sunday 14 May 1922 by Major the Honourable J C Lyttelton, and was dedicated by the Bishop of Worcester. The total cost of the memorial was approximately £500, and at the unveiling ceremony it was announced that public subscription had raised £250.

The names of 18 parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial and were unveiled on Sunday 20 July 1947.

In 1964 the memorial was dismantled and re-erected approximately 36m (40 yards) to the west of its original site. This work was carried out by Harris and Millward of Kings Heath to accommodate a road improvement scheme.

In 2010 four further names were added to the memorial to commemorate two parishioners who died in the First World War, one member of the Home Guard who died in the Second World War and one parishioner who died during the Gulf War.

Details

A First World War memorial dating from 1922, later altered to commemorate subsequent wars.

MATERIALS AND PLAN: the memorial is constructed of stone and stands in a walled enclosure.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent roadside location beside the junction of Park Road and Kidderminster Road.

The memorial comprises a capped Latin cross with octagonal arms and shaft with a two-tiered octagonal foot, octagonal plinth and six-stepped rectangular base. On the east and west faces of the cross are relief-carved swords across which are relief-carved crowns. On the four vertical faces above the plinth are spray wreaths of laurel and olive leaves in bronze. The memorial stands within a large rectangular enclosure formed by a low wall. The memorial is carved from a fine red sandstone sourced from Annan in Dumfries and Galloway.

The main inscription reads THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918/ THIS CROSS WAS HUMBLY ERECTED TO THE/ GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR GOD, KING AND COUNTRY, LOVED ONES AT HOME AND THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD/ (20 NAMES)/ LET THOSE WHO COME HERE AFTER SEE THAT THEIR NAMES BE NOT FORGOTTEN.

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museums Inventory, accessed 5 November 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/32145
Freeth, D. 2009. The Hagley War Memorial, accessed 5 November 2017 from http://hhfs.org.uk/hhfs/documents/War_Memorial/2_war_memorial_book_intro_text_20110923.pdf#page=1&zoom=56

Other
‘Hagley War Memorial’, Birmingham Daily Gazette, Tuesday 18 April 1922
‘Fallen heroes added to war memorial’, Express and Star, 11 November 2010

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