Summary
A First World War memorial, erected in 1921, including sculpture by TS Lord and Sons; further names added after the Second World War.
Description
A First World War memorial, erected in 1921, including sculpture by TS Lord and Sons; further names added after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: Carrara marble; Bishopgate reconstructed limestone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial comprises an approximately 1.8m tall marble figure of a First World War infantry soldier, standing easy, leaning on his downturned rifle, on top of a 2.5m tall square-sectioned limestone pedestal with deep cornice and moulded foot. The pedestal bears the inscriptions in leaded lettering.
The inscription is in leaded lettering and reads: TO THE MEMORY OF/ THE BURBAGE MEN/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ 1914 – 1919/ (NAMES)/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT/ A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS./ (NAMES)/ THE MEN NAMED ABOVE DIED LATER/ FROM THE EFFECTS OF THE WAR/ 1914 – 1918./ IN HONOURED MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF BURBAGE/ WHO DIED WHERE DUTY CALLED/ 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES)
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.
Burbage war memorial was fiercely debated by local residents and businesses at the time of its conception. Some had intended that it be placed in the parish churchyard, but after local protest, the site was changed to the triangular junction where it now stands (the Village Green). The memorial commemorated 54 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and six additional men who died later of the effects of the war.
The statue, a mourning ‘Tommy’ was imported by TS Lord and Sons, of Burbage, from an Italian supplier. It was unveiled on Saturday 26 February, 1921, by Lieutenant Colonel CH Jones CMG TD, and dedicated by the Rector of Burbage, Reverend RDH Pughe.
The memorial was originally fenced in by simple wooden laths and a gate, later altered to be bounded by hedges and railings with an entrance gate to the front. Following the Second World War, the names of 31 servicemen who died in that conflict were added to the memorial.
The gardens were replanted in 1996 and this was commemorated by the addition of a memorial boulder with plaque, that was added behind the main memorial. The memorial was refurbished in late 1999.
Reasons for Listing
The war memorial in Burbage 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 church’s community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* for its design, including the well-sculpted marble figure of a mourning soldier.
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
Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
For the Record
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living