Ahead of Armistice Day on 11 November 2022, three First World War memorials in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex have been listed at Grade II by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England.
Built in the aftermath of the First World War (1914-1918), the recently listed memorials are among tens of thousands that were erected across England in memory of the many people who lost their lives in the conflict. In place of graves, these memorials became focal points for local communities to mourn and honour their dead.
Many of the war memorials also have plaques commemorating those lost during the Second World War.
Tony Calladine, Regional Director for Historic England in the East of England said:
“The First and Second World Wars had a tragic impact on communities across the country, with the loss of so many family members, friends and loved ones. These war memorials are an important reminder of local people who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today. Behind the names on these listed war memorials are people whose stories we should discover and remember, to ensure that they are not forgotten.”
Newly listed war memorials
Dullingham War Memorial, Cambridgeshire
image008.pngDullingham War Memorial, at the Church of St Mary, is a tall Celtic wheel cross memorial with intricate carving. It incorporates details replicated from an ancient Celtic wheeled stone cross on the Isle of Iona in the Inner Hebrides.
Dedicated on 6 April 1920, the memorial commemorates 22 people from the parish of Dullingham, including 19 local men who lost their lives in the First World War, and three who died in the Second World War.
The inscription reads: ‘TO THE GLORY OF GOD/AND IN NEVER DYING MEMORY/OF THOSE DULLINGHAM SOLDIERS/WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-19’.
The Mildenhall War Memorial features the figure of a soldier standing at ease upon a stepped base. The memorial is enclosed within 8 pillars, linked using chains.
The memorial, in the centre of the town, is made from Portland stone and granite. It was erected in remembrance of 122 people from the parish of Mildenhall, inscribed with the names of 86 men whose lives were lost in the First World War and 36 people who died in the Second World War, including three women.
The memorial was built at a cost of £350 and dedicated on 24 October 1920.
Built in Portland stone, the Sheering War Memorial takes the form of a tapered Latin cross, with a sword carved in relief, upon a stepped base.
The memorial’s design was based on the Cross of Sacrifice, a Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). Blomfield was one of the senior architects overseeing the design of British war cemeteries after the First World War.
Image © Neil A Marsden
Although the precise date of its construction is unknown, it is thought to have been built during the early 1920’s.
The memorial remembers 25 people from the parish of Sheering lost in conflict, including 20 men who lost their lives in the First World War and 5 people who died in the Second World War.
The inscriptions on the memorial include IN HONOUR OF/ THE WOMEN/ WHO NURSED/ THE SICK AND/ WOUNDED
Tell us what you know – remembering the fallen
We’d love for people to Enrich the List by adding their photos and information about their local war memorial. Perhaps someone who fought in the First or Second World War lived in your street, attended your school, got married in your local church or supported the same football team?
Adding new information about a memorial will allow others to discover the stories behind the names, helping to ensure that the sacrifices of those individuals are never forgotten. These poignant war memorials tell the stories of local communities at war.
Looking after your local war memorial
War memorials are important landmarks for communities, standing as a testament to local people who made the ultimate sacrifice in war and conflict. To help local communities take care of their war memorials we’ve just released new guidance which can be found at Looking After War Memorials.
