Summary

War memorial, c1920.

Description

War memorial, c1920.

MATERIALS: the memorial is granite and stands on a concrete-covered base.

PLAN: located in the graveyard, c5m east of and in line with the chancel of Church of St Nicholas.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial consists of Celtic cross rising from an inscribed plinth with a three-stepped square base. The cross is roughly-hewn and has a sword of sacrifice moulded on the shaft, with the hilt at the cross bar. The plinth has a polished front face, which is inscribed with applied lead lettering: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF / THOSE FROM THIS PARISH / WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES / FOR THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918’ followed by the names of the 16 fallen soldiers. Below, a sloping tablet is inscribed ‘1939-1945’ followed by the names of the five men who lost their lives in the Second World War.

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, 6 June 2017.

History

A great wave of memorial building took place in the years following the First World War, honouring the many thousands of troops lost and marking the great impact of the international conflict at a local level. Memorials provided a focal point for grieving communities, whose dead were often not repatriated.

The Alfold War Memorial is one such example in a small community, erected in the parish churchyard. No record has been found of the date that it was raised, though it is likely to have been within a few years of the end of the Great War. It bears the names of 16 local men lost in the conflict. Following the Second World War a second plaque was added, commemorating the five local fallen soldiers.

Additional research has found that there were five more local men who died in the First World War, and one more in the Second World War, who were not recorded on the memorial (theygavetheirtoday.com).

Reasons for Listing

The Alfold War Memorial, c1920, 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 sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: a well-crafted memorial formed of a Celtic cross and shaft enriched by a moulded long sword;
* Group value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Nicholas, and a number of other Grade II-listed structures, contributing to the picturesque group.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478707

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

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas