Summary
A First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
A First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIAL: Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands within a memorial garden to the south-east of the Church of St James the Great (Grade II*). It comprises a three-stepped octagonal base, a pedestal, and a tapering octagonal shaft surmounted by a stone calvary cross with a pitched canopy. The memorial is set upon a square, concrete platform. At the foot of the shaft on its east face are the letters RIP.
The east face of the pedestal carries the inscription: HONOUR THE BRAVE/ WHO FROM THIS PARISH/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914–1918/ MADE THE SUPREME/ SACRIFICE FOR THEIR/ COUNTRY/ AND FOR HUMANITY.
The west face is inscribed: “ALL THEY HAD HOPED FOR/ ALL THEY HAD THEY GAVE TO/ SAVE MANKIND THEMSELVES/ THEY SCORNED TO SAVE.”/ GRANT THEM, O LORD/ ETERNAL REST AND LET/ LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE/ UPON THEM.
The 49 names of the fallen are recorded on the six other faces of the pedestal.
A further inscription has been added to the upper section of the pedestal: (east face) 1939–1945; (west face) THEIR NAME LIVETH/FOR EVERMORE/ ECCLESIASTICUS XLIV.14. The names of 13 parishioners who died in the Second World War are inscribed on the six other faces.
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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Colwall as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on Sunday 12 December 1920. The costs of the memorial were met by public subscription and by income from the sale of the music for the hymn ‘O Valiant Hearts’, composed by the Rector of Colwall, Reverend Dr Charles Harris, whose son Noel is commemorated on this memorial.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Conservation of the memorial was carried out in 2003 and 2004.
Reasons for Listing
Colwall 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 compositional design as an accomplished and well-realised calvary cross;
* for the sculptural interest of the figure of Christ and good-quality craftsmanship overall.
Group value:
* with the Church of St James (Grade II*) and several churchyard monuments (Grade II).
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
Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)