Summary

First World War memorial, 1922, with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

The memorial stands to one side of the churchyard path, to the north-east of St Michael’s and All Angels’ Church (not listed). It takes the form of a stone wheel-head cross, c3m tall. The cross shaft rises from a tapering pedestal, that stands on a low step. The memorial is in a small square enclosure marked by a low kerb.

The principal dedicatory inscription on the front face of the cross shaft reads TO/ THE GLORY/ OF/ GOD/ AND IN/ HONOUR/ OF/ BRAVE MEN/ WHO FELL IN/ THE GREAT/ WARS/ 1914-1919/ 1939-1945. The nine names are listed on the front face of the pedestal.

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, 23 November 2017.

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. One such memorial was raised at Hawthorn as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was unveiled in October 1922 by JSG Pemberton and dedicated by the Bishop of Durham. It commemorates those local servicemen who died in both the First and also the Second World War and now records nine names in total.

Reasons for Listing

Hawthorn War Memorial, which stands in the churchyard of St Michael’s and All Angels’ Church, 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;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet poignant memorial cross.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66477928

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

• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)