Hollingworth War Memorial, Longdendale, Tameside

Summary

War memorial commemorating the First World War, Second World War and subsequent conflicts since 1945. Erected 1925-1926, designer unknown.

Description

War memorial commemorating the First World War, Second World War and subsequent conflicts since 1945. Erected 1925-1926, designer unknown.

PLAN: cross set on a high, octagonal pedestal raised on three octagonal steps, standing on a semi-circular platform bounded by a low wall which steps out at the front to flank the platform.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands on a semi-circular platform. A Latin cross with a narrow, relief outline is set on a tall, slightly tapering, rectangular shaft with an octagonal, moulded base. This stands on top of a deep, octagonal pedestal with a moulded, sloping cap and chamfered plinth. The panels of the pedestal bear inscriptions of slightly-raised lead lettering. The front panel has the inscription: IN GLORIOUS MEMORY / OF / THE MEN OF / HOLLINGWORTH / WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN / THE EUROPEAN WAR / 1914-1918. / ‘AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN / AND IN THE MORNING / WE WILL REMEMBER THEM'. The panels to either side each bear the surnames and initials of 20 men who died in the First World War (40 in all). The right-hand side panel has the dates 1939-1945 and the surnames and initials of 10 military casualties, with an inscription below: CIVILIANS KILLED BY / ENEMY ACTION, with the names of two females and a male of the Pickering family; the adjacent panel to the right-hand side has a single name. The rear panel has the inscription: ERECTED BY / PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION / 1925. The left-hand side panel has the inscription: IN PROUD MEMORY / OF / THE MEN AND WOMEN OF / THE VILLAGE / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AT / THE CALL OF / THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE YEARS SINCE / 1945 / WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. The adjacent panel to the left-hand side has the inscription IRAQ and a single name. The pedestal stands on three shallow, octagonal, chamfered steps.

The semi-circular platform is stone-flagged with a stone kerb to the straight entrance front. A low wall of shaped and roughly coursed stone with flat, stone coping bounds the curve of the platform. The wall steps out at the entrance with short, flanking walls reducing in height with concave curved coping. In the return angles of the stepped wall are two square, stone blocks with inset, pyramid caps.

Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that the low, decorative iron railings are a modern addition to the curved wall and are not of special architectural or historic interest.

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, 25 September 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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised in Hollingworth to commemorate the Fallen of the First world War.

The first mention of a public war memorial for Hollingworth was in March 1919 at a meeting of the General Purposes Committee of Hollingworth UDC. A War Memorial Committee was set up to raise money by public subscription to both provide a ‘Welcome Home Fund’ for returning veterans and a war memorial to those who had lost their lives. A meeting in February 1926 resolved that the war memorial should be erected on Wedneshough Green, Hollingworth. The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 14 March 1926 in a ceremony led by Lieutenant Colonel Sir JP Rhodes, BART DSO. It was erected at a cost of approximately £350, the money raised entirely by public subscription, including house to house collections, donations and the proceeds of social events. The architect or stone mason is not known.

The names of Second World War soldiers who lost their lives were later added, together with the names of three generations of one civilian family killed in a German bombing raid in 1942. Subsequently the name of a soldier killed in the Iraq War (2003-2011) has been added.

Reasons for Listing

Hollingworth War Memorial commemorating the First World War, with Second World War and Iraq War additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* A well-designed granite Latin Cross on a high octagonal pedestal standing on a semi-circular platform partially bounded by a low wall providing a dignified and fitting tribute to the lives lost;

Historic interest:
* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20 and C21.

External Links

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