Summary

First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The tall stone memorial stands in an arc of ground to the W side of Scrogg Road, aligned with Melton Avenue and other radiating roads of the housing estate, and with the western entrance to Walker Park. It takes the form of a figure of Victory surmounting a tapering pylon, which stands on a broad plinth. The plinth stands on a low three-stepped base. The uppermost section of the pylon is ornamented with equal-armed crosses carved in low relief.

The inscription to the front face of the pylon reads ERECTED BY/ PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION IN/ HONOURED MEMORY OF/ THE GALLANT MEN OF/ WALKER WHO SACRIFICED/ THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR./ 1914-1918./ 1939-1945./ THEY DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 23 February 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. 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 Walker 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 was commissioned by the then Town Council and paid for by public subscription. The figure of Victory that surmounts the pylon once held a wreath which was not replaced having been broken, whilst the inscription was once completed with inset metal lettering, now lost. Following the Second World War the inscription was altered to reflect the losses of that conflict.

Reasons for Listing

Walker War Memorial, which stands on Scrogg Road, 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: a tall and imposing stone memorial, carefully positioned in alignment with the surrounding residential streets.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478251

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

• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)