Summary
First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions.
Description
First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions.
MATERIALS: sandstone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located adjacent to Waingroves Methodist Church on Waingroves Road.
It comprises a wheel-headed cross with a Sword of Sacrifice carved in relief on the north-east face of the cross head and shaft. The cross shaft rises from a tapering two-stepped plinth set on a square base with a brick edge. The inscriptions are incised and picked out in gold. The north-east face of both steps of the plinth are inset with stone tablets.
The base of the north-east face of the cross shaft is incised with BY THEIR/ SACRIFICE/ WE LIVE. The north-east face of the top step of the plinth bears the inscription ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS OF THE/ WAINGROVES WARD TO THE MEMORY OF THE/ FOLLOWING WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (13 NAMES). The face of the plinth step below reads ALSO IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN THE WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (7 NAMES)/ “FOR FREEDOM THEY DIED”. The south-east face of the top step of the plinth carries the inscription (1 NAME)/ AFGHANISTAN 2007.
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 Waingroves as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 13 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
The war memorial was designed by Mr F Holbrook of Eastwood and built by Messrs Short Bros, with the foundations and base of the memorial provided by the Butterley Co. The total cost of the memorial was £100, the funds for which were raised by a war memorial committee and by donations given by local residents. The memorial was unveiled on 15 May 1921 by Colonel TC Newbold at the Waingroves Methodist Church on Church Street.
Following the Second World War the names of seven fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial. In 2001, after the congregation of the church was relocated to new premises on Waingroves Road, the memorial was relocated to its present location. At the same time, the base of the memorial was replaced with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust. After 2007 a name from the conflict in Afghanistan was added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Waingroves War Memorial, which stands adjacent to Waingroves Methodist Church on Waingroves Road, 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 yet evocative wheel-head cross bearing a carved Sword of Sacrifice.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
For the Record