Burgh le Marsh War Memorial

The war memorial is located by the churchyard path near the entrance to the Church of St Peter and St Paul, close to the Grade II-listed lych gate in sight of The Old Vicarage (Grade II-listed). The memorial faces northwards, towards the High Street. It is a 4.1m tall Calvary cross in Portland Stone. It stands on a square of concrete and has a square base. Above this there is a three-stage plinth: the lowest stage is square on plan, supporting the octagonal middle and upper stages. A carved wreath marks the transition between the middle and upper stages. The cross shaft is octagonal in section with an incised floral design on the east and west sides. The hooded cross-head, rising from a moulded collar, bears the carved figure of Christ crucified.

The memorial inscriptions are found on the sides of the plinth’s upper stage and on four sides of the middle stage, using both applied metal lettering and black-painted incised lettering. On the north face of the middle stage the inscription reads IN PROUD MEMORY OF THE MEN/ OF BURGH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 with on the eastern face LIVE THOU FOR ENGLAND/ WE FOR ENGLAND DIED. To the south the inscription continues MAY THEY REST IN PEACE and, to the west, THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.

Commemorated names are listed on the faces of the plinth’s upper stage, with on the southern face [NAMES]/ OF THIS PARISH/GAVE THEIR LIVES IN/ THE WAR OF/ 1939-1945. There is also a faint inscription carved in relief on the cross shaft that is not at present (2017) completely legible: it reads IS IT/ […]/ TO YOU/ ALL YE/ THAT/ PASS/ BY, which is taken from Lamentations 1v12.