Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled 1921.
Description
First World War memorial, unveiled 1921.
MATERIALS : granite, lead.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located to the south of the Parish Church of St Nicholas and St Faith (Grade I listed). It consists of a granite Celtic cross with a cusped wheel-head and a knot work design carved in relief on the west face of the cross-head and shaft. The cross shaft rises from a corniced pedestal with moulded foot set on a two-stepped base.
The west face of the pedestal bears the inscription TO / THE MEMORY / OF / MEN OF SALTASH / WHO FELL / IN / THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918 in lead lettering. The names of the fallen are listed on the remaining faces of the pedestal.
The memorial stands on a paved area set within a raised grassed plot in the south-west corner of the churchyard. A stone kerb, which forms the top of a retaining wall, runs along the north and east perimeters of the plot; the foot of the Second World War memorial wall is set into the kerb on the east side. On the west side of the plot, a curved stone wall flanks steps which lead from the road to the memorial. The wall is surmounted by iron railings with a central gate bearing the arms of the borough.
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 Saltash as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 60 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The design of the memorial, which was proposed by the Town Mayor and Corporation, was agreed at a meeting on 28 April 1919 and in June 1919 the residents of Saltash were encouraged to contribute to a fund that had been set up towards the cost of the memorial. On 6 February 1921 the memorial was unveiled by the Mayor, Mr JH Pooley.
In 1930 work was undertaken to renew the lettering on the memorial and to re-lay the grass surrounding the memorial. Railings and gates bearing the arms of the borough in bronze were also installed at this time. In 1950, a granite wall bearing a dedication to the Second World War and the names of the fallen from that conflict was built directly behind the First World War memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Saltash 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* for its design, a neatly-made Celtic wheel-head cross.
Group value:
* with the surrounding Grade II-listed buildings, and the Grade I-listed Church of St Nicholas and St Faith.
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.
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