Summary
War memorial, unveiled in 1921, dedicated to the local men who served in the First World War and fell in the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Stoke-by-Clare War Memorial, unveiled in 1921, dedicated to the local men who served in the First World War and fell in the Second World War, 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 sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as an elegant and well-executed memorial.
Group value:
* for the strong group value the war memorial holds with nearby listed buildings, including the Vicarage (Grade II), Silver Farmhouse (Grade II), and Green Farmhouse (Grade II*).
History
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 Stoke-by-Clare in the garden of the former village primary school (now Stoke College nursery school) as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by 107 local men who served in the First World War. Of those who served, 27 are known to have lost their lives in service, and 80 are known to have served and returned. The memorial was dedicated by the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and unveiled by Field Marshall Sir William R Robertson, Bart., GCB., GCMG. KCVO, DSO on 23 January 1921. The event was recorded in the East Anglian Daily Times on 25 January and Suffolk and Essex Free Press on 26 January 1921. Following the Second World War the names of three local men who fell in the conflict were added to the memorial.
Details
War memorial, unveiled in 1921, dedicated to the local men who served in the First World War and fell in the Second World War.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is crafted from Portland stone and takes the form of an obelisk set on a square plinth, base and two steps. The west elevation of the obelisk is inscribed ‘TO THE / MEMORY / OF THE MEN / OF STOKE / WHO FELL IN / THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1919’. The names of 27 men who fell in the First World War are inscribed on the west face of the plinth, and the other three sides record the names of 80 men who served and returned. Below the plinth, the west face of the base is inscribed with the dates ‘1939-1945’ and the names of three local men who fell in the Second World War. The memorial stands in a prominent location adjacent The Street (A1092), the main road which runs through Stoke-by-Clare, in the garden of the former village primary school, now Stoke College nursery school.
