Narborough War Memorial

A First World War memorial, erected in 1920; further names added after the Second World War and later.

MATERIALS Grey Welsh granite.

DESCRIPTION The memorial rises to a height of about 5.5m, and takes the form of a wheel-head cross on a moulded, tapering, octagonal-section shaft featuring a relief-carved downturned sword of sacrifice, atop a square plinth with moulded cap, on a cruciform base with two-tiered quarter-circle steps infilling the gaps between the arms, the whole on a low octagonal base. The bronze wreath was originally affixed in a leaning position between the front-facing arm of the cruciform base and the octagonal tier below, but was moved after the Second World War to lie affixed on top of the cruciform arm, so that a Second World War plaque could be affixed to its riser. The plinth and base bears the inscriptions in cast bronze relief plaques.

The inscriptions read: (Upper plinth): TO THE GLORIOUS DEAD/ 1914 (relief image of a wreath) 1918/ THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED/ BY THE INHABITANTS OF/ NARBOROUGH AND LITTLETHORPE/ IN MEMORY OF THEIR MEN WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ UNVEILED DECEMBER 4TH 1920// (Bronze wreath): LEST WE/ FORGET/ FROM THEIR/ COMRADES WHO/ CAME BACK// (Upper Plinth, three remaining faces): (NAMES)// (Lower plinth): IN MEMORY OF OUR/ FALLEN COMRADES/ 1939 – 1945/ FROM THE EX-SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN/ OF NARBOROUGH AND LITTLETHORPE// (Lower plinth, remaining faces): (NAMES).