War Memorial

The war memorial was erected in 1920. It is constructed of stone, with a plinth of Leicestershire granite quarried locally at Croft. The memorial takes the form of a Celtic wheel cross set upon a tapering shaft, designed by Kelly and Co of London. The cross sits upon a stone plinth. It is recessed within the wall of the Vicarage, with short stone bollards linked by a chain in front of the cross. An inscription on the front face reads “TO THE/MEMORYOF/OUR FALLEN,/GREAT WAR/1914-1919/ERECTED/BY PEOPLE/OF THIS VILLAGE/ (NAMES)”. A plaque of local stone on the rear wall commemorates those who lost their lives in the Second World War, with the inscription “THE WORLD WAR/1939-1945/ (NAMES)”. An additional inscription on the plinth commemorates a life lost in the Malaya Emergency. The memorial was erected in 1920, funded by donations and village events, with the support of Major H H Robertson Aikman. His wife formally unveiled the monument on January 24, 1920. The memorial commemorates those who lost their lives in both world wars and in the Malaya Emergency. It was cleaned and the lettering re-gilded in 2008. The memorial is designated at Grade II for its importance as a reminder of nationally and internationally significant events, as a good example of an architecturally distinct tribute to the fallen of two world wars, and for the rare addition of a commemoration of a life lost in the Malaya Emergency.