Summary

First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War, erected in 1920.

Description

This entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 21 August 2024. The GIS triangle depiction was moved from TF0803854804 to TF0804454790. Thus placing it on the building.

First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War, erected in 1920.

MATERIALS: the memorial is constructed of pink Aberdeen Granite on a concrete base.

PLAN: the memorial is square on plan.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in a prominent roadside location within the boundary of the churchyard of the Church of St Thomas a Becket (Grade I). It is composed of a rounded, inscribed cross, standing on an inscribed, square plinth. Below, the plinth stands on a two-stepped concrete base.

The inscription on front of base of the memorial reads: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF/ MEN OF THIS PARISH, WHO GAVE THEIR/ LIVES FOR JUSTICE, KING, AND COUNTRY,/ IN THE GRAT WAR 1914-1918./ THIS MONUMENT IS SET UP BY THE PARISHIONERS OF DIGBY.’ The front of the cross is inscribed: ‘THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.’

The rear of the base of the memorial reads: ‘ALSO IN MEMORY/ OF THOSE WHO FELL/ IN WAR 1939-1945/ NAMES.’ The other opposite sides of the base are inscribed with ‘NAMES.’ All the letters are inscribed in white.

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, as a result both of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities, and of 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.

Digby War Memorial was unveiled on 22 August 1920 in the attendance of the local clergy and dignitaries. It stands in the churchyard of St Thomas a Becket Church, to the left of the main gate. The memorial identifies the surname, rank, and regiment of twenty-five soldiers who died across the First and Second World Wars.

On 11 November 1933, The Sleaford Gazette reported that Mr W M Creswell, Chairman of the British Legion, was chosen to place the members wreath on the Digby War Memorial following the mornings Armistice service.

Reasons for Listing

Digby 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:

* as a well-executed memorial in the form of a tapered cross shaft.

Recommended Books

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  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
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  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)