They range from a memorial which commemorates one of the oldest men to fight in the First World War who was determined to serve alongside his four sons, to a monument which marks one of the worst explosions in the history of Britain’s explosives industry.
Before the project began there were more listed telephone boxes (2,486) than war memorials (1,657) in England. Throughout the centenary period Historic England has been working in partnership with War Memorials Trust, IWM, Civic Voice, volunteers and school children across the country to better understand these important local landmarks and protect them for the future.
New Book, Legacies of the First World War
To mark the centenary of the end of the war Historic England is publishing a new book Legacies of the First World War: Building for Total War 1914-18. By examining archaeological and architectural remains, from airfields and hospitals to submarines and practice trenches, this book uncovers the physical remains left across England by the First World War. The range of what was discovered is astonishing, reflecting how the home front became as important as the battlefront. It was the place to train and equip new armies, to manufacture armaments, to treat the wounded and to grow more food. As millions of men joined the armed forces, women entered the workforce in munitions factories, as tram and bus conductresses and as farm workers.
Remembering the lost
Each war memorial tells an important and moving story of both public and personal commemoration. Built by individuals and communities in the years following the conflict, these memorials are a poignant, physical reminder of the sacrifices and loss brought about by the First World War.
Never before in the history of Britain had there been such terrible loss of life in war and there was a profound national yearning to permanently commemorate the dead and missing. The official policy of not repatriating the dead means that these memorials, often standing right in the heart of our villages, were the main focus of grief for thousands of families and communities across the country.
Tens of thousands of memorials were built, the majority paid for by money raised locally, and huge crowds of emotional people turned out at unveilings.
Heritage Minister Michael Ellis said: “The First World War was a period of unprecedented loss for families across the country and after the Armistice communities sought to commemorate their fathers, sons, and brothers who sadly never returned. It is right that 100 years on we have protected these poignant memorials and continue to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice."
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “The stories behind these memorials are very moving and each one tells us how devastating the First World War was for communities across the country. Over a million Britons lost their lives during the war and it’s important that their sacrifice and struggle is not forgotten. By protecting and repairing war memorials we are ensuring that we remember them for years to come.”
War memorials listed in the past year in the East of England include:
Ellington War Memorial, Cambridgeshire
Ellington War Memorial is a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled in 1920. A Roll of Honour can also be found inside the church. Grade II.
Goldington War Memorial, Bedfordshire
Goldington War Memorial, which stands on Goldington Green is an imposing war memorial cross in Portland stone, designed by Kensington Gammel ARIBA. Grade II.
The memorial at Goldington is a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 34 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial, the funds for which were raised by public subscription, was unveiled on 27 December 1919. Following the end of the Second World War the names of 17 service personnel who died in that conflict were added to the memorial, including Janice Harrington, a flight engineer in the Air Transport Auxiliary, who died in 1944 when her aircraft crashed. The name of one soldier who died in Northern Ireland in 1981 has been added to the memorial, listed with the First World War names.
War Memorials at Dollyman’s Farm, Essex
Two war memorials, erected around 1920, dedicated to two British pilots killed in service at this site during the First World War. They are rare examples of memorials to British servicemen who died in training or service in Britain during the First World War. Grade II.
Captain Alexander Bruce Kynoch (1894-1918) and Captain Henry Clifford Stroud (1893-1918) set out from Stow Maries and Rochford respectively on the night of 7 March 1918 to intercept a German Gotha G V bomber heading for London. The two RFC aircraft suffered a fatal collision around midnight and crashed in adjacent fields at Rawreth.
Captain Kynoch had served in Gallipoli, Egypt, and Macedonia, and was awarded the 1914 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Captain Stroud served as a lieutenant on the Western Front from August 1914 to February 1915, where his legs were severely wounded, and was awarded the 1914-15 Star. He later earned his wings and captaincy in 1916. He was buried locally at St Andrew’s Church in Rochford, in a private grave, between four Commonwealth War Grave Commission's headstones.
Two memorials were erected around 1920 marking the spot where each pilot was found by William Woodburn Wilson who, accompanied by his sister Jean, was the first to arrive at the scene of the fatal crash. It appears these ‘crosses’ were formed of the propellers of the crashed planes, as Mr Wilson’s sister Jean referred to them as ‘propeller memorials’ in January 1960. Ms Woodburn Wilson stated: ‘When my brother sold the property he had it incorporated in the title deeds that these two small plots were not included in the sale, were still his property, and were to be forever held sacred.’ The propeller on the memorial to Stroud has reportedly suffered theft and been replaced on at least two occasions, and there is no propeller on the memorial to Kynoch.
John Dickinson & Co War Memorial, Hertfordshire
The John Dickinson & Co war memorial in Apsley, unveiled in 1929, is dedicated to workers of the company who fell in the First and Second World Wars. Grade II.
The memorial was erected by John Dickinson & Co at their Apsley Mills site, in memory of 212 workers of their London Headquarters, Croxley, Apsley, Home Park, and Nash mills, and offices at 27 Upper Thames Street, Paddington, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and South Africa, who fell during the conflict. The memorial was unveiled in 1929, and stood outside the canteen building to the south side of London Road. A second bronze plaque was later added with another 17 names of the fallen. Following the Second World War (1939-45), the company added a third bronze plaque in memory of 132 workers of the Apsley, Croxley, Nash, and Home Park mills, Tottenham, Kings Cross, and London export offices, and company representatives who lost their lives in the conflict. The memorial was moved to its current location at the north side of London Road in 1980, and now stands within the garden of the former cottage of Apsley Mills (built in the C18 and listed at Grade II). The memorial garden was restored in 2016.
Burnham Deepdale War Memorial Shrine, Norfolk
Burnham Deepdale and Brancaster Staithe War Memorial Shrine in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary (grade II*) is an unusual war memorial shrine in which the interior space and exterior alcove are used to honour not only the dead but also all those who served. Grade II.
It commemorates 13 local servicemen who died in the First World War. The details of three men who fell in the Second World War have been added. The rear of the memorial includes a bronze Roll of Honour plaque naming all 90 men who served, indicating those who were wounded and those who died. The memorial was made by F Osborne and Co Ltd, a prolific London-based art metal work company.
Stoke Ash War Memorial, Suffolk
The war memorial at Stoke Ash commemorates the one parishioner who did not return of the 44 who served in the First World War. Joseph Archie Moss was a Private in the 1/7 Battalion of the Kings (Liverpool Regiment). He was killed on 31st July 1917 and is buried at Hooge Crater Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium. He was awarded the Military Medal. In 2000 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust. Grade II.
Image: Ellington War memorial - standing just inside the gate to All Saints Church. A stone tapered obelisk, upon a pedimented sqaure plinth.
©War Memorials Trust
War memorials in numbers
- Over the centenary 2,645 war memorials have been listed or upgraded in England.
- Of these, 21 at Grade I, 99 at Grade II*, 2,519 at Grade II, plus six Registered war memorial Parks (including Whipsnade Tree Cathedral).
- 158 of the newly listed memorials received a grant from the First World War Memorials Programme funds administered by War Memorials Trust
- 11 memorials listed through applications made by children in the Heritage Schools programme
- Over 3,000people have attendedCivic Voice workshops about listing war memorials
- Newly listed memorials by region: Yorkshire 107; North West 247; North East 167; West Midlands 190; East Midlands 283; East of England 516; South West 520; South East 391; London 202
About Historic England
We are Historic England the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories these places tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.
Listing
The National Heritage List for England is held and managed by Historic England on behalf of the Government and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It identifies the buildings, sites and landscapes which receive special protection, so they can be enjoyed by current and future generations.
The List is being added to all the time and we're committed to keeping it up to date. Entries are sometimes removed, for instance if a building no longer meets the criteria for listing. Surprisingly the total number of listed buildings is not known, as a single older entry can sometimes cover a number of individual units, such as a row of terraced houses.
About First World War Memorials Programme
In commemoration of the centenary of the First World War the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport made a £4.5 million fund available for the conservation and protection of war memorials. The First World War Memorials Programme saw Civic Voice, Historic England, IWM and War Memorials Trust working in partnership with the public on a programme of recording, research, conservation and listing that ensures war memorials across the country are protected and the people they commemorate are remembered.
Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement in England, working at national, city and local levels to make the places where everyone lives more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive. They support local groups and communities through campaigning and advocacy.
Over the four year centenary period, Civic Voice created a network of volunteers, helping them to build the skills they need to assess the condition of war memorials and encourage their conservation.