South Elmsall and Moorthorpe War Memorial

First World War memorial, 1923, by Wilfrid Bond of Grantham. Second World War inscriptions added later. Market-cross style design

MATERIALS: limestone with a sandstone base and polished-granite plaques.

South Elmsall and Moorthorpe war memorial is located alongside Barnsley Road, at the junction with Dearne Street. The memorial, which is constructed of limestone, is in the style of a market cross and is set upon a hexagonal four-stepped sandstone base. A tall hexagonal plinth with crenellation-style carving and Tudor-flower decoration to the top has a black polished-granite plaque to each face with gilded lettering bearing the names of those killed during the First and Second World Wars; four plaques commemorate the 172 men lost during the First World War and two plaques commemorate the 73 men lost during the Second World War. The plaque to the front (north-west) face also incorporates an inscription that reads 'TO THE GREATER/ GLORY OF GOD/ THIS CROSS/ IS ERECTED/ IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES/ FROM/ SOUTH ELMSALL/ AND/ MOORTHORPE/ IN THE/ WORLD WARS/ 1914-18 1939-45'. The plinth supports a slender tapering hexagonal shaft that also has crenellation to the top and is surmounted by a floriated cross. The shaft incorporates a gableted niche to the front (north-west) face containing a statue of St George, and adorning the shaft's alternate faces are small reliefs, some of which possibly originally represented regimental badges, but are now heavily weather worn.