Summary
First World War memorial, with added commemoration for the Second World War.
Description
A First World War memorial, with added commemoration for the Second World War.
DESCRIPTION: The war memorial stands in an elevated location beside the A438 at its junction with Church Road, and to the south-east of the village. It takes the form of a plain column of polished granite surmounted by an orb and set on a square, rough-hewn stone plinth with a two-stepped square base. The main inscription in incised lettering on the front (south-east) face of the plinth reads PEACE. A bronze plaque attached to the south-west face carries the inscription SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THE PARISH WHO FELL/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1919./ (14 NAMES)/ R.I.P. Another bronze plaque attached to the north-east face of the plinth bears a further inscription ALSO OF THOSE WHO FELL/ IN THE 1939–45 WAR/ (4 NAMES).
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial stands on a paved area within an enclosure defined by painted cast-iron railings and a pedestrian gate. It is accessed from the roadside via four steps which were repaired in the early C21.
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 Staunton on Wye, probably in the 1920s, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community of both Staunton on Wye and Monnington on Wye who lost their lives in the First World War.
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Staunton on Wye War Memorial located on the A438 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 sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* an elegant and well-executed memorial in the form of a polished granite column surmounted by an orb.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)