Summary

First World War memorial unveiled on 8 January 1922.

Description

MATERIALS: Hamstone Calvary cross.

DESCRIPTION: Wilton War Memorial is composed of a two-stepped octagonal base with a square plinth on top. Rising from the plinth is a plain shaft with a carved Calvary at the centre of the cross head. The figure of Christ is carved in relief.

The inscriptions are incised in the plinth and base and commemorate the fallen of the First World War. The inscription on the memorial reads THE / GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1919 / THEIR NAME LIVETH / FOR EVERMORE / (NAMES).

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 25 July 2017.

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, 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.

In 1919 the Parochial Church Council of St George Wilton resolved to erect a memorial to commemorate the local servicemen who fell in the First World War and subsequently set up a committee with this aim. Original discussions were around a pair of plaques, one in St George’s church and one in St Michael’s, Galmington which, at the time, was within the same parish. Consultation showed that the community wished for a single memorial in the form of a cross at Wilton.

A design was obtained and approved from M Parsons. Due to issues over obtaining a Faculty to erect the memorial it was resolved in December 1920 that the committee should erect the memorial in the undedicated part of the churchyard. The memorial was unveiled by Brigadier-General Frith on 8 January 1922 and it was dedicated by the Bishop of Taunton.

In 2014 the memorial was conserved and the legibility of the inscription improved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Wilton War Memorial, unveiled 8 January 1922, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a well-carved example of a Hamstone Calvary cross;
* Group value: with the church of St George (Grade II*).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26678159

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)