Little Downham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with names added after Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Little Downham War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* it is 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;
* it is associated with two other memorials in Little Downham created to commemorate the fallen from the First World War: the clubroom and the memorial window in the Church of St Leonard.

Architectural interest:

* it is in the form of a well-detailed wheel-head cross, one of the classic designs used for First World War memorials.

Group value:

* the war memorial holds a strong historic and functional group value with the parish church of St Leonard (Grade I) and two headstones (Grade II) all of which serve as memorials commemorating people who once lived in the community

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 Little Downham during a service dedicated by the Bishop of Ely in December 1920 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It is the same design as the Grade II listed memorial at Tilney All Saints Church, Norfolk. The total cost of £150 was covered by a Mr George Darby, and a further £500 was raised by the local community. The money was also used to build a clubroom in the same year, which is still extant. In St Leonard’s Church, the window in the north aisle is illustrated with servicemen and women around the central figure of Christ, commemorating both World Wars. A roll of honour is located underneath the window. Little Downham Parish Council restored the memorial in 2014 and had the names of the men who lost their lives in the Second World War engraved around the top step.

Details

First World War memorial with names added after the Second World War.

MATERIALS: limestone (possibly Clipsham)

EXTERIOR: the memorial takes the form of a stone wheel-head cross fleury rising from the collar of a slender cross shaft, octagonal in section. A shield is carved on the front and rear face of the collar, with the front bearing the monogram IHS. The cross shaft stands on a small, shouldered pedestal, square on plan, on a two-step octagonal plinth.
The base has a legible incised inscription and reads:
“TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THOSE/ WHO WENT OUT FROM THIS PARISH/ AND LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR US/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE”.

The names of the fallen from the First World War are inscribed on the pedestal, and those of the Second World War are inscribed on the plinth, with the dates “1939 – 1945”.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 30 November 2023 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/129723/
Little Downham Parish Council History, accessed 05/01/2024 from https://littledownhamparishcouncil.gov.uk/the-parish/parish-history/

Other
Cambridge Independent Press (Friday 10 December 1920), p.10

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