War Memorial At Paradise Corner

WALTHAM ST LAWRENCE

1214/0/10009 THE STREET 07-OCT-09 War Memorial at Paradise Corner

II War memorial cross, 1920, to commemorate The Fallen of the parish of Waltham St Lawrence in the First World War, with additional dedications to The Fallen of the Second World War.

MATERIALS: Portland Stone with inscriptions on marble plaques with inlaid lead lettering.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial takes the form of a Latin cross on a slender tapering shaft and octagonal plinth, atop a square stepped base. The base has inset marble plaques on each side of the top tier with inscriptions in inset lead lettering. That to the north reads: 'IN MEMORY OF OUR MEN/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 - 1918.' with the names of the 29 fallen on the other sides. The names of the 11 men who fell in the Second World War are also inscribed on a plaque on the north side of the monument, below the First World War dedication.

HISTORY: The war memorial was erected to commemorate the 29 men from the parish who fell in the First World War. It was funded by public subscription organised by a parish committee. The work was commissioned from a Mr Murphy, a stonemason from nearby Winkfield in Berkshire, at a cost of £130. The memorial was unveiled, on the 16 May 1920 during a service of commemoration, by Mr Ernest Gardner MP who praised The Fallen for their courage, affection and patriotism. Eleven further names were added following the Second World War with a rededication ceremony held on the 7 November 1947. The war memorial remains an important focus for the village's Remembrance Day commemoration.

SOURCES: Maidenhead Advertiser, 19 May 1920 UK National Inventory of War Memorials (site reference 7893) at http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.7893/fromUKniwmSearch/1 (Accessed 9 April 2009)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The War Memorial at Waltham St Lawrence is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * special architectural interest as a simple yet elegant memorial cross of good quality design, craftsmanship and materials; * historic and cultural special interest as a memorial which honours the war dead of the parish from both the Great War and the Second World War; an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this community.