Thornley War Memorial

The memorial stands to the north side of High Street. It takes the form of a long, curving, coped stone wall, c2.5m high, built in Dunhouse stone from Staindrop. The central section is a raised stone panel projecting above the general wall height. A plain Latin cross carved in relief in the centre of the panel is flanked by the principal dedicatory inscription and two name panels.

The inscription, divided to left and right of the cross, reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THE EMPLOYEES AND/ RESIDENTS OF THORNLEY/ WHO MADE THE SUPREME/ SACRIFICE IN THE WARS. A quotation from the Gospel of St John, GREATER LOVE/ HATH NO MAN/ THAN THIS/ THAT A MAN/ LAY DOWN HIS LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS, is incised below the foot of the cross.

The two rectangular name panels, each outlined by a raised moulded border, record the First and Second World War dead. Either side of the central panel, two small plaques are inserted into the wall face: these record additional names from the First World War onwards. To the front of the memorial a low stone wall defines a flower bed with a central stepped platform below the central plaque, for the placement of wreaths and floral tributes.

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, 22 February 2017.