LNWR and LMS Crewe Tranship Shed War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial of 1925 with Second World War additions, relocated in 1999.

Reasons for Designation

The London North Western Railway (LNWR) and London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Crewe tranship shed war memorial, a First World War memorial of 1925 with Second World War additions, relocated in 1999, 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:

* for the design interest of the decorative slab and its inscriptions.

Group value:

* with the adjacent listed Tower of Christ Church, which was built by the railway and designed by an engineer on its staff.

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 Crewe as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 20 men from the Crewe tranship shed of the London and North Western Railway who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was originally located in the Basford Hall Sidings on Gresty Road. 211 men from the staff volunteered, of whom nearly ten per cent gave their lives. The memorial was unveiled on 11 November 1925 by the district goods manager WH Phillips, and dedicated by Reverend A Maitland-Wood of St Andrew’s Church, Crewe.

Following the Second World War (after merger had seen the facility become part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway) five names from that conflict were added. In 1999 the memorial was relocated to prevent damage from heavy vehicles entering the original site. Railtrack and the Railway Heritage Trust, with help from local firms, cleaned and moved the memorial to the grounds of Christ Church. It was re-dedicated on 7 November. The former church was built by the railway, and the listed tower (National Heritage List for England - NHLE – 1138680) designed by an engineer on its staff.

Details

A First World War memorial of 1925 with Second World War additions, relocated in 1999.

MATERIALS: buff sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: standing on stone flags within the footprint of the former Christ Church, the tower of which is grade II-listed.

The memorial takes the form of a stone slab with shallow pyramidal capital over a dentilled cornice, and a moulded three-stepped foot, standing on a single square step. The principal (south) face of the memorial has labels in the upper corners, carved with flowers in low relief, above a laurel wreath carved in relief. Below this the incised inscription reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD,/ AND TO PERPETUATE THE MEMORY/ OF THE FOLLOWING MEN/ FROM THE CREWE TRANSHIP SHED,/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918./ (20 NAMES)/ 1939 – 1945/ (5 NAMES).

The returns of the slab each have a cross in low relief.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 4 November 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/node/143831
War Memorials Register, Imperial War Museum, accessed 4 November 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2667

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