Summary
First World War memorial, 1920, with Second World War additions.
Description
First World War memorial, 1920.
MATERIALS: pink-grey granite.
DESCRIPTION: Beckermet War Memorial is located in Beckermet Cemetery, at the junction of the A595 and B5345, Beckermet, Cumbria. It is prominently situated facing the road junction on a slightly raised mound. It comprises a polished wheel-head cross with splayed arms, on a tapering shaft, surmounting a rough-hewn square plinth with a polished face for inscriptions, on another rough-hewn square block below. The cross and plinth bear the inscriptions in incised and blacked lettering.
The inscription reads (cross head) IN/ LASTING MEMORY// (base of shaft) THE MEN OF/ ST JOHN’S PARISH/ AND/ BECKERMET VILLAGE// (plinth) WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES)/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE/ ECCLUS.XLIV.14.
On the back is the later inscription ALSO THOSE WHO FELL IN THE WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES).
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 Beckermet as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Beckermet War Memorial was situated within the cemetery to the north of Beckermet itself. The memorial commemorates 15 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and 20 men who fell in the Second World War.
The memorial was designed and made by Mr Smith, monumental mason of Whitehaven, who also made the war memorial for Calderbridge in the same area (formerly two halves of the same parish). The memorial was unveiled on 29 August 1920, by Mr J R Atkinson, Chairman of Beckermet Parish Council.
Reasons for Listing
Beckermet War Memorial, which is situated in Beckermet Cemetery, 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 sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* as a simple but well-executed granite cross.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)