Little Brickhill War Memorial

The stone memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary Magdalene (Grade II*-listed), outside the church’s west tower. It takes the form of a lantern cross. The single-stepped octagonal base is surmounted by an octagonal plinth with a drumhead reminiscent of the base form of Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice. On the base a small pedestal, square on plan, is the foundation for the cross shaft. The lantern head is a rectangular block of stone with a convex top. The front face of the lantern carries a bronze plaque with a depiction of the Calvary cast in low relief. The figures of Mary and Thomas stand either side of the figure of Christ crucified.

A bronze plaque fixed to the front (west) face of the pedestal carries the inscription 1914 – 1918/ (10 NAMES). A similar plaque fixed to the south face of the pedestal reads 1939 – 1945/ (3 NAMES). The Second World War names are listed with year of death.

A dedicatory inscription carved on faces of the drumhead of the base is now (2018) largely illegible but includes the words [transcribed from face to face] LOVING ARMS EMBRACE ALIKE/ UPON THE CROSS THE LIVING AND/ OUTSPREAD […]. Originally this may have read ‘Loving arms upon the cross outspread embrace alike the living and the dead.’ The First World War names are incised around the upper part of the main section of the base.