Mepal War Memorial

Summary

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

Reasons for Designation

Mepal 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.

Architectural interest:

* it is a simple, well designed war memorial cross.

Group value:

* it is appropriately located in the historic centre of the village, surrounded by three Grade II listed houses dating from the late C17, the early C19, and the 1840s. It has a strong visual relationship with these buildings, forming a group that is illustrative of the evolution of the village through four centuries.

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 Mepal on the 8 October 1922, attended by Mr A S Corbett of Wellington, Shropshire and the Rector, Rev. J W Robson. It received extensive coverage in the local press (Ely Standard, 13 October 1922). The memorial was executed by W T Doe and Son, of Soham, and the whole of the cost, with the exception of the iron palisading, was paid for by public subscription. An old (undated) photograph shows the memorial was mounted on a raised stone platform surrounded by iron palisading. The palisading has since been removed, and it appears that the platform may have been clad in paving when the paved area and path was laid around the memorial at a later date. Notably, the memorial unusually contains the name of a woman - Nellie Waters, who passed away from pneumonia whilst serving at a camp in Thetford. The memorial was restored in 2005.

Details

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

MATERIALS: Cornish granite.

DESCRIPTION: located on the corner of High Street and School Lane.

The memorial consists of a square base that supports a three-stepped plinth, on top of which is a tapering rectangular sectioned pillar surmounted by a floriated cross. The base rests upon a large square, raised platform that is probably original, albeit now clad in paving. The surrounding paved area and path was laid at a later date and is not included in the listing. One of the rear step faces has a panel that describes the restoration of the memorial in 2005.

The base of the cross and the plinth bear the inscriptions in leaded lettering and read as follows:

south face:
(base of pillar) 1914 – 1918
(top step) TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND TO / THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO / FELL IN THE GREAT WAR
(middle step) (4 NAMES)
(bottom step) (9 NAMES)

west face:
(bottom step) GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE / FOR HIS FRIENDS

east face:
(top step) 1939 - 1945 / (2 NAMES)
(middle step) (4 NAMES)

north face:
(incised panel on bottom step) THIS MEMORIAL WAS RESTORED IN 2005 BY / LOCAL PEOPLE TO MARK THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY / OF THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museum War Memorial Register, accessed 21/12/23 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3445
Roll of Honour - Cambridgeshire, accessed 22/01/24 from https://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/Mepal.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 22/02/24 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/119201/ .

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