Men of Rainhill War Memorial Cross

Summary

First World War memorial, 1920.

Reasons for Designation

The Men of Rainhill War Memorial 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 during the First World War.

Architectural interest:
* as an elegant, well-executed memorial employing good quality materials and craftsmanship.

Group value:
* the memorial benefits from a spatial group value with the Grade II listed Church of St Ann and its former school.

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 in the churchyard of the Church of St Ann, Rainhill as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War.

The decision to erect this war memorial was made at a meeting of the Church Officers on 19 November 1918 and during the following month, the vicar, Reverend WG Swainson, appealed for a list of names of those who had died to be included on the memorial. The cost of the memorial was paid for from the Churchyard Extension Fund, as the Roby family had already defrayed the cost of the extension. The building of the memorial began during the week beginning 29 March 1920, with the dedication service taking place soon after. In 2016 the memorial was conserved with grant aid administered by War Memorials Trust.

Details

First World War memorial, 1920.

MATERIALS: red sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: Men of Rainhill War Memorial Cross is located in the north-east corner of the churchyard of the Grade II listed Church of St Ann, overlooking the junction of Warrington Road and St James Road. It consists of a slender sandstone wheel-headed cross on a collared shaft. The cross has cusped wheel segments and a moulded base. The tapering octagonal shaft rises from a tapered and shouldered pedestal, set on a three-stepped base. The north face of the foot of the cross shaft is incised TO THE/ GLORY/ OF GOD with the north face of the pedestal below reading AND IN/ GRATEFUL/ REMEMBRANCE/ OF RAINHILL MEN/ WHO WERE/ FAITHFUL UNTO/ DEATH IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ “THEIR NAME/ LIVETH/ EVERMORE”. The names of the 37 fallen are recorded on the remaining sides of the pedestal.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online - Men of Rainhill Cross, accessed 7 June 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/173626
Imperial War Museum War Memorial Register - St Anns Church Men of Rainhill Cross, accessed 7 June 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1238
Rainhill Remembers, accessed 7 June 2019 from http://www.rainhillremembers.uk/st-anns-war-memorial.html

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