War Memorial At Holbeach St Mark'S

HOLBEACH

1502/0/10017 MAIN STREET 10-JUL-08 HOLBEACH ST MARK'S War Memorial at Holbeach St Mark's

GV II War memorial. Erected c1919 to the memory of the men from the parish of Holbeach Marsh who were killed in WWI, with inscriptions added for the fallen of WWII.

MATERIALS: Granite.

DESCRIPTION: An obelisk sitting on a moulded block with gablets on four sides, above a square plinth. The plinth has a relief on the front of a laurel wreath surrounding the dates '1914 1918'. Below the relief is a dedication in Gothic script: 'To The Glory Of God / And in Memory of the Men / of this Parish / Who fell in the Great War.' The other three sides of the plinth are inscribed with the names of 35 men who fell in WWI. The inscriptions are in Gothic script, with the capital letters illuminated in red. Below the plinth are two square steps inscribed on the front '1939-1945', with the names of 5 men who fell in WWII in Gothic script. The steps stand on a square stone base.

HISTORY: The memorial was erected c1919 to commemorate the men of the parish of Holbeach Marsh who were killed in the First World War. It is situated on a triangular piece of land which previously formed part of the churchyard of St Mark's Church, as is evident from the 1888 and 1905 ordnance survey maps. Further inscriptions were added to commemorate the fallen of the Second World War.

SOURCES: UK National Inventory of War Memorials, ref. 43026.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: The war memorial at Holbeach St Mark's is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons: * As a testament to the large number of men from this small marshland parish who were killed in the two World Wars, it is a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events on the local community * The obelisque-shaped memorial has a statuesque presence and is smoothly worked in granite, with inscriptions carved in finely-detailed Gothic script * The memorial has group value with the adjacent Church of St Mark by Ewan Christian.

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, 23 January 2017.