Summary

First World War memorial, 1921 with further names added after the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: rough-hewn granite.

DESCRIPTION: Petrockstowe War Memorial is located beside the entrance to the churchyard in The Square in Petrockstowe. It consists of a Latin cross rising on a tapering shaft. The shaft stands on a three-stepped square base.

Three sides of the steps carry the inscriptions and names in lead lettering. The main dedication reads IN EVER/ GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE/ FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS/ WHO DIED FOR US IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918 and is located on the top step. On the two steps below this are a list of names followed by THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE. The other faces of the steps also have lists of names preceded by THESE SERVED and THESE SUFFERED HURT. A further dedication was added for the Second World War and reads WORLD WAR 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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 Petrockstowe in 1921 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community, who served during the First World War. It commemorates 61 local servicemen who served during the First World War and ten who died. The site for the memorial was gifted by Lord Clinton.

Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the two who served and the two fallen of that conflict. 

In 2000 the inscriptions on the memorial were improved and in 2004 works to the hard landscaping were undertaken with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Petrockstowe 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 this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a simple yet dignified granite Latin cross;
* Group value: with Church Gate, Outbuilding and 3-6 The Square (all Grade II).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478266

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

• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)