Dymock War Memorial

Summary

War memorial, erected around 1920. Unknown architect.

Reasons for Designation

Dymock 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:

* for its humble and well-realised design in the form of a floriated sandstone cross atop a hexagonal column and squared plinth with five-stepped hexagonal sandstone base;
* for the crisp incised lettering of its inscriptions.

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

Dymock War Memorial is centrally located on Wintour’s Green immediately south of the Church of St Mary (Grade I) and north of The White House (Grade II).

The memorial cross was erected around 1920 together with an illuminated wall tablet in the Church of St Mary to commemorate the sacrifice of twenty-nine parishioners who died during the First World War. The stepped base of the memorial was later altered to add the names of ten parishioners who died during the Second World War and was unveiled by Canon D Gethyn-Jones RD on 6 November 1949.

Details

War memorial, erected around 1920. Unknown architect.

MATERIALS: carved from sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a floriated cross atop a hexagonal column with a squared plinth that stands on a five-step hexagonal base with chamfered edges. The plinth and uppermost steps of the base bear inscriptions in incised letters. The names of twenty-nine parishioners who died in the First World War are inscribed on the north, east and west faces of the plinth. The inscription to the south face of the plinth reads:

IN MEMORY OF THOSE / WHO MADE THE / SUPREME SACRIFICE / FOR THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918 / THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE

The two uppermost steps on the south face of the base were altered around 1949 to commemorate ten parishioners who died as a result of the Second World War. The dates ‘1939-1945’ are inscribed into the chamfered edge of the top step with the names of two parishioners into the face. The second step from the top has had a section cut in line with the face of the top step to create a flat surface inscribed with a further eight names and a small cross below the central two names.

Sources

Books and journals
Gethyn-Jones, J E, Dymock down the Ages, (1966), 142-143

Websites
Dymock, accessed 4 August 2022 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/49594
Dymock, accessed 4 August 2022 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/254677

Other
Gloucestershire County Council: Historic Environment Record, 'Dymock War Memorial, St. Mary's Church, Dymock' (53120)

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