Wyke and Normandy War Memorial Cross, Normandy, Surrey

Entry Name: Wyke and Normandy War Memorial Cross

Listing Date: 25 January 2018

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1452395

ID on this website: 101452395

Location: Normandy, Guildford, Surrey, GU3

County: Surrey

District: Guildford

Civil Parish: Normandy

Built-Up Area: Flexford

Traditional County: Surrey

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Surrey

Tagged with: War memorial

Summary

First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Granite wheel cross with lead lettering.

DESCRIPTION: Normandy war memorial is located on the north side of Guildford Road, at the junction with Hunts Hill Road. It comprises a tall granite wheel-head cross rising from a tapering plinth, square on plan, with a two-stepped base. The inscriptions are in metal lettering painted black, located on the plinth and steps.
The principal dedicatory inscription to the front face of the plinth reads TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF/ THE INHABITANTS OF WYKE AND NORMANDY/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919/ “WHO DIES IF ENGLAND LIVE”/ (NAMES). The two side faces of the plinth carry further names: those that served in the Royal Navy and Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment are grouped together, whilst the remaining soldiers of other regiments and corps are recorded together.

The front face of the top step is inscribed THE ROLL OF HONOUR OF WYKE AND NORMANDY PARISH/ 1939 – 1945, with the commemorated Second World War names recorded on the front face of the lower step and the sides of both steps.

The memorial stands in a small area of crazy-paving, enclosed by posts carrying a chain.

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 Normandy as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 35 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The plot of land on which the memorial stands was leased from the War Office by the Parish Council in 1921, and the memorial had been erected before 1923 (in which year a local newspaper reported on a commemorative service marking the anniversary of its unveiling).

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the 21 local servicemen who died in that conflict. In 2015 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Wyke and Normandy War Memorial, which stands at the junction of Guildford Road and Hunts Hill Road, 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 tall and imposing granite wheel-head war memorial in the Celtic style, in the manner of a wayside cross.

External Links

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