Summary
First World War memorial cross, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
First World War memorial cross, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.
MATERIALS: Hollington stone with bronze plaques.
PLAN: it stands on a square base on a triangle of grass at the junction of the B4196 and School Lane.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a Latin cross on a tapering square shaft, mounted on a square plinth with a three-stepped based. The face of the cross bears a relief-moulded Sword of Sacrifice. On each side of the square plinth is a bronze plaque.
The main inscription, on the east side of the plinth, reads: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN GRATEFUL / REMEMBRANCE OF / THE MEN OF ASTLEY / WHO LAID DOWN / THEIR LIVES FOR US / IN THE GREAT WAR’. The north and south faces name the 11 fallen soldiers, and on the west is a dedication to the five men lost in the Second World War.
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 the official policy of not repatriating the dead. Memorials, therefore, provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Astley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community in the First World War. It was unveiled and dedicated on Saturday 9 April 1921 in a ceremony attended by the Bishop of Worcester.
As was common for war memorials, the names of those parishioners who fell in the Second World War were subsequently inscribed.
Reasons for Listing
Astley War Memorial, 1921, 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 sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* a well-designed monument of good-quality construction, and it survives well.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
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Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)