Harrold War Memorial

Summary

A First World War memorial, erected in 1919, with names added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Harrold 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 in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest

* as a restrained and dignified monument in the form of a granite obelisk.

Group value

* it shares group value with a number of listed buildings and a scheduled monument in the immediate vicinity.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Previously, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 Harrold as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 19 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The war memorial was unveiled on 26 December 1919 by Lieutenant-Colonel Rouse Orlebar. The granite was supplied by Messrs Scott and Ray of Glasgow and it was erected by Mr Edgar Clayson of Harrold at a total cost of £390, which was raised by subscription. By July 1920 a fence of granite bollards and iron railings had been installed around the memorial. In July 1927 a garden was laid out around the memorial and the whole was enclosed by an iron fence with a gate and stone steps leading down to the road.

Following the end of the Second World War the names of the fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial. In 2016 the outer iron fence and ornamental garden which was installed in 1927 was removed and the paving was replaced with York stone.

Details

A First World War memorial, erected in 1919, with names added after the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Aberdeen granite, York stone and iron.

DESCRIPTION: Harrold War Memorial is located in the north-west corner of the village green at the junction of High Street and The Green. To the south-east of the memorial stands the Market House and the Lock Up (both Grade II-listed) and Harrold Round House (scheduled ancient monument). A number of Grade II-listed buildings line the east and west sides of the village green including Harrold Catholic Chapel, 1 and 3 The Green and 5-11 The Green. It stands within the Harrold Conservation Area.

The memorial, constructed from granite, consists of a tapering square obelisk rising from a pedestal with a moulded collar and foot on a two-stepped base. The north face of the pedestal bears the inscription TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS AND MEN/ OF THIS VILLAGE, WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ (NAMES) with the base below reading ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION. The west face of the pedestal is inscribed 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).

The memorial, which is enclosed by stone obelisk bollards linked by iron rails, stands on a paved area set within the wider green. Steps lead down from the front of the memorial to the road.

Sources

Websites
Roll of Honour – Harrold, accessed 24 July 2020 from www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/HarroldRollofHonour.html
UK Inventory of War Memorials, accessed 20 September 2020 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/120708

Other
Harrold The War Memorial, Bedfordshire Times and Independent, (2 July 1920), p4
Harrold War Memorial, Bedfordshire Times and Independent, (22 July 1927), p12

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