Ollerton War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, with Second World War and later additions.

Reasons for Designation

Ollerton War Memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, with Second World War and later additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a Crusader cross.

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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Ollerton in Nottinghamshire as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 16 men of the parish whom lost their lives during the conflict. It was unveiled by Lady Savile and dedicated by Reverend GJA D'Arcy, rural dean of Worksop, on 30 September 1920. It was designed and constructed by R Thompson, monumental mason of Ollerton, at a cost of £179 13s 10d with an additional sum of £40 for the concrete base. The site, which was locally known as 'the Triangle', was donated by Lord Savile of Rufford Abbey who also paid for the laying out of the site as a memorial garden.

Following the Second World War a dedication was added to commemorate the 47 parishioners who fell in that conflict. The names of single individuals killed in Cyprus in 1956 and Northern Ireland in 1989 have subsequently been added.

In 2011 the memorial was cleaned.

Details

First World War memorial, unveiled and dedicated in 1920, with Second World War and later additions. It was designed and constructed by R Thompson of Ollerton.

MATERIALS: of Hopton Wood limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Ollerton War Memorial stands at the centre of a triangular-shaped memorial garden which is bounded by Main Street/Newark Road on the south-west, the River Maun to the north-west and the mill race to Ollerton watermill to the east.

The memorial, which stands some 3.5m high, takes the form of a Crusader cross which rises from a tall, tapering, rectangular shaft. The shaft stands on a deep, trapezoidal plinth, rectangular on plan, which in turn sits on a square, three-step base. The whole stands on a concrete foundation.

The principal dedicatory inscription is in leaded lettering on the lower section of the shaft's south-west (front) face and reads 'ERECTED / BY THE INHABITANTS / OF OLLERTON, / TO THE GLORY OF GOD, / AND IN GRATEFUL / MEMORY OF THOSE / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 - 1918.' On the plinth below are the names of the 16 men who died in this conflict along with the names of a further 15 men who died during the Second World War.

Placed on the second step of the base is a mid-C20 memorial flower vase inscribed 'IN MEMORY OF / TERENCE ARTHUR / GILLOTT / DIED ON ACTIVE / SERVICE IN CYPRUS / AUG. 28TH 1956 / AGED 21 YEARS'. On the step below is a late-C20 stone memorial tablet inscribed 'IN MEMORY OF / CORPORAL STEPHEN RUSSELL McCONIGLE / KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN NORTHERN IRELAND / ON 4TH MAY 1989, AGED 30.'

The memorial stands at the centre of a square-shaped flower bed which is defined by concrete kerbstones and a chain link fence of late date. It is accessed from the north-east and south-east sides by early-C21 tarmac footpaths edged by concrete kerb stones. All these features are not of special interest and are therefore excluded from the listing.

Sources

Websites
Information on Ollerton War Memorial from the Imperial War Museum's War Memorials Register, accessed 31 January 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3883
Information on Ollerton War Memorial from Nottinghamshire County Council's Great War Roll of Honour website, accessed 31 January 2019 from https://secure.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/rollofhonour/WarMemorials/Details/133

Other
Information on Ollerton War Memorial from Nottinghamshire County Council's Historic Environment Record: HER Number M18733 - MNT26433, Olerton War Memorial

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