Summary

War memorial in the form a tall stone cross.

Description

Tall decorated cross of Cornish granite, resting on an octagonal plinth. This bears four bronze plaques, each a rectangle with floral designs in each corner representing the four home nations (the English Tudor rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock and Welsh leek) and at the top Lady Justice. The front plaque bears the inscription: 1914 - 1919 / ALL YE WHO / PASS BY / REMEMBER / WITH / GRATITUDE / THE MEN OF / THIS PLACE / WHO WENT FORTH / TO FIGHT FOR / GOD AND COUNTRY. / THE NAMES / OF THOSE WHO / RETURNED NOT / AGAIN ARE HEREON / INSCRIBED / R.I.P.; the other three plaques bear the names of the Fallen. The in turn rests on a four-step base, the uppermost step bearing bronze plaques with the names of those who fell in the Second World War, including civilians killed in air raids. The memorial lies on a raised, walled limestone dais.

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, 15 March 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.

One such memorial was raised in Sanderstead outside All Saints Church as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community.

The memorial was unveiled on 15th May 1920 in a ceremony attended by Air Commodore J B Hearson and it was re-dedicated on 9th November 1947 by the Bishop Suffragan of Croydon. The memorial commemorates 33 regiments in total, and it is unusual in that there are more commissioned officers than other ranks listed as killed, reflecting the social makeup of Sanderstead at this time.

In 2011 two of the copper plaques attached to the memorial were stolen; the church and various local organisations raised £6,240 to have them replaced. New plaques were attached to the memorial in a dedication ceremony held in November 2013.

Reasons for Listing

Sanderstead 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 the local community, and the sacrifices they made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: as an imposing and dignified stone cross war memorial;
* Group value: with the Grade I listed All Saints Church.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478511

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair