Summary

First World War Memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The memorial stands on the Village Green in the centre of the village and in close proximity to a number of listed buildings. The triangular lawn is enclosed by railings and benches face outwards from two sides of the Green. Originally the memorial was enclosed by a timber fence. The grey granite memorial takes the form of a plain Latin cross rising from the shallow cornice of a square, tapering, plinth. The plinth stands on a square, three-stepped, base, the bottom step of which is concrete.

The principle dedication incised on the front face of the plinth reads TO THE ETERNAL MEMORY OF THE/ MEN OF ALREWAS WHOSE NAMES/ ARE INSCRIBED HEREON, WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES FOR THE EMPIRE IN/ THE GREAT WAR, AND ALL OF THOSE/ OTHERS FROM THIS PARISH WHO/ FOUGHT UNDER THE FLAG DURING/ THE SAME PERIOD 1914 – 1919/ IN LIKE MANNER/ WE HONOUR THE MEN OF ALREWAS/ WHOSE NAMES ARE INSCRIBED BELOW and continues on the front face of the upper step of the base, WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945.

The names of those who fell in the First World War are carved into the other three faces of the plinth. The names of those who fell in the Second World War are carved into the front face of the middle step of the base. All inscriptions are incised and painted black.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 19 January 2017.

History

Alrewas War Memorial, funded by public subscription, was dedicated on 16 January 1921 at an ecumenical Parade Service. The memorial was unveiled by Col WE Harrison OBE and dedicated by Rev A Paice. Following the end of the Second World War inscriptions were added to commemorate local servicemen who died in that conflict. Conservation and repair work was carried out in 2014, funded by War Memorials Trust. This included the inscription of newly-researched names.

Reasons for Listing

Alrewas War Memorial, situated on the Green at the junction of Main Street and Post Office 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 this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: with Home Farmhouse and 2, Post Office Road, both Grade II-listed.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677499

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

• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)