Summary

First World War memorial, 1919.

Description

First World War memorial, erected in approximately 1919.

MATERIALS: constructed from granite.

PLAN: located at the entrance to St Margaret’s Churchyard.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises a roughly-hewn Latin cross with an incised head and a tapering shaft, mounted on a simple square plinth and standing on a raised bed. The shaft and plinth, which are finely-hewn, bear the inscriptions in incised and black-painted lettering: IN / THANKFUL / COMMEMORATION / OF THE PEACE 1919 / AND IN GRATEFUL / REMEMBRANCE OF / THESE OUR BROTHERS / OF THUXTON WITH / GARVESTON WHO / GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR / RIGHT AND HONOUR / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1919 / (NAMES). The plinth reads: ‘1939 – 1945’ followed by the names of the five who died in the conflict.

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 Garvestone as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Thuxton with Garvestone’s memorial, like many in Norfolk, is situated at the church.

No records of the erection of the memorial have been found, though it is presumed to have been raised in 1919, as its inscription records. The memorial commemorates eight local servicemen who fell in the First World War and five men who fell in the Second World War.

Reasons for Listing

The Thuxton with Garvestone 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:

* a robust, well-executed granite cross which is unaltered and continues to reflect the intentions of the communities by whom it was erected.

Group Value:

* with the Grade II* listed Church of St Margaret and a Grade II listed telephone kiosk nearby.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q97324476

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.

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