Calthwaite War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, by Messrs Beattie and Co of Carlisle.

Reasons for Designation

Calthwaite War Memorial, erected 1921, 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 First World War.

Architectural interest:

* a well-executed and handsome memorial, employing good quality design and craftsmanship, taking the form of a rough-hewn red Aberdeen granite cross, with martial carvings in relief;
* sculpted by Messrs Beattie and Co of Carlisle, a well known and prolific Cumberland monumental sculptor and mason.

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 Calthwaite as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 12 members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War.

A memorial committee under the chairmanship of Mr J Jackson was established in 1919 and decided that the memorial should take the form of a granite cross; the tablet would record the names of the Fallen together with the regiments in which they served, and that no distinction of rank would be made. The war memorial was to be erected in the churchyard, conspicuously in front of the Church of All Saints and in plain view from the road. The granite memorial commemorates the 12 local servicemen who fell in the First World War, out of the total of 58 men from the village and its environs who had served their country. The memorial was unveiled by the Earl of Carlisle (who had lived at Calthwaite Hall as a child) at a well-attended service on 16 January 1921, and it was dedicated by the vicar, Reverend W W Farrer, and the Wesleyan Methodist Minister, the Reverend G W Reece. The service closed with the sounding of the Last Post by Sergeant-Drummer Taylor and Drummer Lancashire from Carlisle Castle.

The style of the plinth at Calthwaite, is typical of the work of prolific stone masons and sculptors Messrs Beattie and Co of Carlisle, with the divided panel consisting of a smooth tablet on one side and martial symbols or trophies on a rough-hewn background on the other; similar to two Cumbrian examples at Aikton, and the Grade II listed Blennerhasset war memorial (National Heritage List for England 1327237).

Details

First World War memorial, 1921, by Messrs Beattie and Co of Carlisle.

MATERIALS: Aberdeen granite.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a rough-hewn cross with relief-carved wreath at the centre of the head (with ribbons trailing along the arms of the cross) on a short shaft, surmounting a large, rough-hewn plinth with rounded shoulders. The front of the plinth has a divided appearance, with a smooth dressed tablet with lead lettering on the left-hand side and a Brodie helmet and Lee-Enfield rifle carved in relief on the rough-hewn area to the right. The inset lead lettering of the inscription reads: ERECTED IN/ GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF/ CALTHWAITE DISTRICT/ WHO DIED IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ (NAMES)/ THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH. The memorial stands on a simple single-stepped square base, set within a square area, with low kerbstones. The right-hand end of the base is signed in small lead letters that read: BEATTIE & CO, SCULPTORS/ CARLISLE.

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorial Register - Men of Calthwaite District, accessed 10 April 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3048
Old Cumbria Gazetteer - War memorials, Calthwaite, accessed 10 April 2019 from http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/lgaz/lk30957.htm
War Memorials Online - Calthwaite, accessed 10 April 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/172453/
After the Conflict - Cumbrian War Memorials, Calthwaite, accessed 10 April 2019 from http://cumbrianwarmemorials.blogspot.com/2010/07/calthwaite_24.html
Cumbria County History Trust, Hesket in the Forest - Calthwaite WWI Memorial, accessed 10 April 2019 from https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/hesket-forest-calthwaite-wwi-memorial

Other
Penrith Observer, 5 August 1919, 11 January 1921 and 18 January 1921

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