Summary

First World War memorial, with a later addition for the Second World War.

Description

First World War memorial, with a later Second World War addition.

MATERIALS: stone.

PLAN: the memorial is located on the west side of the church of St Peter.

EXTERIOR: the memorial is in the form of a floriated cross with a hexagonal shaft. It stands on a rectangular plinth with a concave chamfer which itself stands on a two-stepped hexagonal base of roughly dressed coursed stone. The north face of the plinth has the inscription ‘IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE MEN OF MAXEY AND DEEPING GATE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918’. The south face of the plinth has the inscription ‘O GRAVE WHERE IS THY VICTORY?’, and the east and west faces are inscribed with the names of the fallen. Resting between the two steps of the base on the north side is a stone tablet inscribed ‘ALSO IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF ALEC MCSHANE WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WAR 1939-45’.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 16 January 2017.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Prior to then 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, which was 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.

The memorial in the churchyard of the church of St Peter was erected after the First World War to commemorate the lives of the fallen from Maxey and Deeping Gate. A stone tablet was also added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Listing

Maxey and Deeping War Memorial, erected soon after the First World War, which stands outside the church of St Peter, 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;
* Group value: it has strong group value with the Grade I listed church of St Peter and nearby Grade II listed Maxey Hall.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677424

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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