Summary
First World War memorial, unveiled on 16 April 1922, with Second World War additions.
Description
First World War Memorial, 1922, with Second World War additions.
MATERIALS: pink granite
DESCRIPTION: Cleator Moor War Memorial is located in the churchyard of the Grade II-listed Church of St John the Evangelist. It is prominently situated in front of the east end of the church, where it faces the roadside beyond. It comprises a Celtic cross with carved knot work to the head on a tapering shaft, with a tapering four-sided plinth and single-stepped base. At the foot has been placed a small tablet dedicated to the Second World War.
The lower shaft and plinth bear the inscriptions in leaded lettering: East Face FOR/ GOD – KING/ AND/ COUNTRY/ 1914 -1918/ (NAMES)/ West Face (NAMES)/North Face (NAMES)/South Face (NAMES).
A tablet in front of East Face reads: IN GRACIOUS MEMORY OF/ OUR GLORIOUS DEAD/ 1939-1945.
The whole is within a surrounding low kerb wall with eight square posts.
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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised in the grounds of the churchyard of the Church of St John the Evangelist as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
Although Cleator Moor War Memorial is situated within the churchyard of St John the Evangelist the war memorial committee had representatives from all the nonconformist churches in the town. The memorial was unveiled by Colonel D J Mason DSO on 16 April 1922. The memorial commemorates 85 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and those (none named) who fell in the Second World War.
Reasons for Listing
Cleator Moor war memorial erected in 1922, 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* in the form of a pink granite Celtic cross on a tall, tapering plinth.
Group value:
* with the Grade II-listed church in whose grounds it stands.
External Links
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
Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
For the Record
[(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)