Summary

First World War memorial with further names added after the Second World War and for later conflicts.

Description

MATERIALS: limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Carterton War Memorial is located in Market Square adjacent to the Town Hall. It consists of a wheel-head Maltese cross with carved beaded detail to the ring on a rectangular shaft which widens towards the base. The shaft rises from a two-stepped circular base.

On the front of the shaft is a raised shield bearing the First World War dedication TO THE MEMORY/ OF CARTERTON MEN/ WHO FELL IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES). Below this on the shaft are later inscriptions which read 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES)/ 2008/ (NAME) (IRAQ).

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.

One such memorial was raised at Carterton 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 commemorates eight local servicemen who died during the First World War. 

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the seven fallen of that conflict. A further name was added in 2008 for one who fell in the Iraq War.

The memorial was originally located at the corner of the crossroads but was moved in the 1980s to the front of the town hall. Its base was originally curved but was changed to a two-stepped square base after relocation. It was changed again to a circular two-stepped base by 2016.

Reasons for Listing

Carterton War Memorial 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 local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20 and early C21;
* Architectural interest: an ornate and striking cross with carved decorative details.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478378

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

• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)