Farlam War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920 with Second World War and Korean War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Farlam War Memorial, erected 1920, 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.

Architectural interest:

* a simple, yet well-detailed design, in the form of a Latin cross, executed in local materials.

Group value:

* it benefits from a spatial group value with the Grade II-listed Church of St Thomas a Becket, in whose churchyard it stands.

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 war memorial was raised at Farlam as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The Farlam memorial was erected in 1920 within the churchyard of the Grade II-listed Church of St Thomas A Becket (National Heritage List for England: 1335604). It commemorates 20 local servicemen who fell during the First World War. The memorial was made by monumental masons Messrs Beattie & Co of Carlisle, at a cost of about £120, and was unveiled by Miss Taylor on 24 July 1920 and dedicated by the rector of Knarsdale, the Reverend W G Inglewdow. Subsequently, the names of five men who fell during the Second World War and one man who fell in the Korean War were added.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920 with Second World War and Korean War additions.

MATERIALS: granite.

DESCRIPTION: Farlam War Memorial is located in the churchyard of St Thomas a Beckett Church. It comprises a Latin granite cross, with a wreath carved in relief at the centre, set upon a roughly-hewn plinth. It sits upon a four-sided plinth with a moulded cornice, set upon a square two-tiered base. The memorial is surrounded by a low stone kerb.

The dedication is inscribed onto a carved scroll on the front face of the rusticated plinth in leaded lettering and reads: IN/ HONOUR OF THE MEN/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES FOR/ THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1918//. The names of the fallen are inscribed in order of first name below on the front face of the plinth. The dedication to the Second and Korean War is on the left face and reads: AND IN THE WAR 1939-45/ (NAMES)/ KOREA/ (NAME).

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 07-03-2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/177238/
Imperial War Museum Inventory, accessed 07-03-2019 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/48996
The Second World War blog, 10 December 2013, ‘Farlam Parish War Memorial, Cumbria,’, accessed 07-03-2019 from http://2ndww.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/

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