Summary

War memorial, erected 1920, in the form of a stone cross set on a plinth.

Description

Tall stone cross, standing on a base atop a trapezoidal plinth; the plinth's front face reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN PROUD MEMORY OF THE / MEN OF ELMDON / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE / TWO WORLD WARS / 1914 (names) 1918 / AND 1939 - 1945. The plinth rests on a two-step base.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 20 July 2017.

History

The aftermath of the World Wars saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. 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 in Elmdon as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community. It was unveiled in 1920 and was made by White & Sons at a cost of £86. An additional inscription was added at some point after 1945 to honour the Fallen of the Second World War.

Reasons for Listing

Elmdon 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 the local community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: as an attractive and imposing stone cross war memorial;
* Group value: with the Grade II-listed Elmdon (St Nicholas) Church.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478744

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]