Summary
First World War memorial cross, unveiled 1921, with later additions for the Second World War. Rebuilt 1973.
Description
The war memorial stands on the green, approximately 260m to the south-west of the Church of All Saints (Grade I-listed). It comprises a stone Latin cross with a tapering shaft (octagonal in section). The moulded foot of the cross shaft rises from a pedestal, square on plan, that stands on a two-stepped octagonal base.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the pedestal reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE. The commemorated names, including rank and regiment, are inscribed on the other faces, whilst on one face of the base’s upper step the later dedication reads 1939 – 1945/ (NAME).
The memorial stands on a small pavement, surrounded by a low metal fence which follows the octagonal plan of the memorial’s base.
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 Fornham All Saints as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial was unveiled by Sir John Wood MP DSC MC and dedicated by Canon FJ Fulford on 13 March 1921. It commemorates 12 local servicemen who died during the First World War. A call for funds to erect railings around the memorial was made shortly after the unveiling ceremony. Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the one man who died in that conflict.
On 19 March 1972 the memorial was demolished in a car accident. It was rebuilt by Hanchets of Bury St Edmunds, at a cost of £675. Originally incorporating a small wheel-head cross, the rebuilt memorial is slightly shorter and has a plain Latin cross head. In April 2005 the memorial was cleaned with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.
Reasons for Listing
Fornham All Saints War Memorial, which stands on The Green, 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 simple war memorial in Portland stone, in the manner of a wayside cross.
Group value:
* with numerous Grade II-listed buildings either side of The Green and the Grade I-listed Church of All Saints.
External Links
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)
Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)