Maltby War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, erected 1924, by Messrs Tyas and Guest, with Second World War additions.

Reasons for Designation

Maltby War Memorial, erected 1924, 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 well-executed and handsome memorial, employing good quality design, craftsmanship and materials.

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. 

Shortly after the First World War, a number of local ex-servicemen erected a small timber memorial cross above Maltby Crags, as a place of contemplation and remembrance, with evocative views out over the surrounding countryside. In 1922 the vicar of Maltby, the Rev C E Hughes, wished to erect a permanent war memorial to the great sacrifice of Maltby, large enough to accommodate the 101 names of the fallen. Eventually £400 was raised by subscription and a design chosen to be built by Messrs Tyas and Guest of Swinton, who were responsible for a number of war memorials, including the listed Grade II memorials at Thurnscoe, Brinsworth, Stainforth and Conisburgh, all in South Yorkshire. Continuity of remembrance was maintained by building the new memorial on the site of the timber cross, and it was unveiled by the Earl of Scarborough on Sunday 27 July 1924 and dedicated by the Bishop of Sheffield, the ceremony taking place before a substantial crowd. Following the Second World War, three new metal plaques commemorating the 77 fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial. On 27 July 2002 the memorial was re-dedicated following works to it.

Details

First World War memorial, erected in 1924, by Messrs Tyas and Guest, with Second World War additions.

MATERIALS: a granite and concrete memorial, with lead lettering and secondary bronze plaques, set on a rectangular-plan flagstone base.

DESCRIPTION: Maltby War Memorial is situated on a bluff above Maltby Crags. It takes the form of a square granite monument, with circular engaged columns at each corner, supporting a pedimented cornice, on top of which is a finial consisting of a squat chimney-like column, capped by a crown. The memorial is set on a three-stepped base; the top pair of steps have chamfered upper surfaces, while the lower step is of plain concrete. All the original inscriptions on the memorial are inset with lead lettering. The north-east pediment is inscribed 1914 – 1918 and the panel below is inscribed TO/ THE GLORIOUS MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF MALTBY/ WHO FELL IN/ THE GREAT WAR./ (30 names), with an inscription on the top step that reads “LEST WE FORGET”. A further 71 names of the fallen from the First World War are inscribed on the north-west and south-east panels of the memorial. The names of the fallen from the Second World War are recorded on bronze plaques attached to three of the faces of the second step. The plaque on the north-east face reads 1939 – 45/ “AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”/ (20 names); the plaques on the north-west and south-east faces each display 28 names, with an additional name added centrally beneath the plaque on the south-east side. The memorial stands on a square paved podium, which is slightly sunken and enclosed by kerb stones, within a wider irregular hexagonal paved area.

Sources

Books and journals
Westwood, F, Featherstone, A, Rotherham and District War Memorials, (2003), 194-196

Websites
IWM War Memorial Register - Men of Maltby, accessed 11 March 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/52857
Rotherham War Memorials - Blyth Road, Maltby, accessed 11 March 2019 from https://rotherhamwarmemorials.weebly.com/maltby.html
Wolverston Photography - Maltby War Memorial, accessed 11 March 2019 from https://timwolversonphotos.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/maltby-war-memorial/
War Memorials On Line - Maltby, accessed 11 April 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/173243

Other
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 28 July 1924, Page 13, Column 7 - Maltby War Memorial

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