Broughton in Amounderness War Memorial, Broughton, Lancashire

Summary

First World War memorial of 1921, altered in 1948.

Description

First World War memorial of 1921, altered in 1948.

MATERIALS: built of buff sandstone with tablets of bronze and Westmorland slate.

PLAN: a cross on square steps, with an altar and reredos behind.

DESCRIPTION: facing east in a paved raised enclosure. The enclosure is surrounded by a stepped contemporaneous wall of random-coursed, rough-hewn stone with large copings, and approached by four steps set back within the retaining wall, with quadrant returns.

The cross stands approximately five metres tall and is a wheelhead cross pattee with bosses to each arm and in the centre. The upper arm has a moulded square capstone. The rectangular-section shaft tapers and stands on a chamfered foot. This in turn stands on a tapered plinth with shallow-chamfered top. The whole stands on a square, two-stepped base. Due to the durability of the stone the dressing marks and inscriptions are still very crisp. The front of the plinth has an inset bronze panel which is inscribed, in relief: THESE DIED FOR US followed by the nine names of the fallen, listed alphabetically by surname, with full names, dates of death, ranks and units all listed. In the top corners are Lancashire roses. The front of the upper step is inscribed: LEST WE FORGET. The other faces of the cross are all plainly dressed.

To the rear stands the altar, which is raised on a single step and has a two-stepped plinth and moulded capstone. The front face is inscribed: TRANQUIL . YOU . LIE . YOUR . KNIGHTLY . VIRTUE . PROVED/ YOUR . MEMORY . HALLOWED . IN . THE . LAND . YOU . LOVED/ 1914 – 1918 1939 – 1945.

The altar abuts a reredos of ashlar stone with moulded cornice, five arched niches and two flanking walls. The central niche contains a carved wheelhead cross, with incised inscription to either side, reading: IN HOC/ SIGNO VINCIT (‘through this sign you conquer’).

The flanking walls have recesses with scrolled tops, each containing a plaque of Westmorland slate. Each plaque has a Lancashire rose, and the names of the fallen carved in serifed lettering painted in gold (13 on the left plaque and 12 on the right). The names are listed alphabetically by surname, with the date of death below.

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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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.

In 1919 a local committee was formed to consider the erection of a permanent memorial to the Broughton men who died in the First World War. After a number of sites had been discussed it was agreed to have a war memorial on the main road, near the church. The land was donated by Mr Wilson and the memorial’s (approximately) £300 cost was raised by public subscription and events. It was designed by Rev Collinson, with assistance on details from within the Parish Council.

The memorial was unveiled at 4pm on Friday 11 November 1921. The ceremony was presided over by the chairman of the Parish Council Mr R Hardman. The memorial was unveiled by Lieut Col WS Bowes, who emphasised that the fallen had given all they had to give – their youth. After the memorial was dedicated by Rev Collinson, the Last Post and Reveille were sounded by trumpeters from the nearby Fulwood Barracks.

A committee was set up in 1947 to agree a memorial to the fallen of the Second World War, to be paid for by a subscription. After a discrete memorial had been considered, the Dickson family offered the land on the east side of the road as a place from which to contemplate the original memorial. In addition the altar was added behind the cross with the names of the fallen on slate tablets flanking a reredos. Unusually they include a female casualty (Eleanor Leigh), and also a casualty who died in July 1946 (Norman Henry Leigh).

An information board has been erected to remember Pte James Towers who survived the First World War and was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918. Seatings show that original railings have been lost along the top of the wall surrounding the memorial, with modern railings now (2018) replacing them. The A6 through Broughton was once a major traffic artery but is now bypassed and tranquil.

Reasons for Listing

Broughton in Amounderness War Memorial, a First World War memorial of 1921 with additions of 1948, 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 the strong design interest of the original wheelhead cross, enhanced by the added altar and reredos.

External Links

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