Summary

First World War memorial, 1920, modelled on Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice design, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

War memorial, 1920.

MATERIALS: red sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is in the form of a medieval market cross with a tall Latin cross with an octagonal shaft set on an inscribed plinth, the plinth being placed at the top of a set of three encircling steps. The south face of the plinth, facing the road, carries the inscription in raised lettering:

TO THE/ HONOURED/ MEMORY/ OF MEN WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES FOR/ THEIR COUNTRY/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919.

Set below there are the additional dates 1939-1940.

The remaining faces are inscribed with the names of the service men who were killed, including their rank and regiment.

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. One such memorial was unveiled by the vicar of Scotby, the Reverend R S Greene, on 27 June 1920, just within the entrance to the churchyard of All Saints Church. It commemorates the 23 local servicemen who died in the First World War. The memorial is very similar to the 1918 design by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission known as the Cross of Sacrifice, but omitting the bronze sword which is usually affixed to the cross on these memorials which were erected in Britain’s war cemeteries in France and Belgium. The memorial is also in local red sandstone rather than the more usual pale-coloured Portland stone.

Following the Second World War a further inscription was added including a further three names.

Reasons for Listing

Scotby War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following 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:

* as a good, well executed example of a war memorial adapted from Sir Reginald Blomfield Cross of Sacrifice designed for the Imperial War Graves Commission.

Group value:

* sited within the churchyard of the Grade II-listed Church of All Saints.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66480162

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

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