Stoke Bishop War Memorial

A war memorial of 1920 date to the design of W.H. Watkins.

MATERIALS: constructed of stone.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is a freestanding cross on a three-stepped base set on a fourth (slatestone) step, which is mainly buried within a grass embankment. Above, the plinth has canted corners with pyramidal-stop detailing and mouldings. The west face of the plinth is inscribed: IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF/ STOKE BISHOP MEN WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ “HE THAT DOETH THE WILL/ OF GOD ABIDETH FOREVER.”/ WHO STANDS IF FREEDOM FALL/ WHO DIES IF ENGLAND LIVE.” The step below is inscribed: ALSO IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939-45. The other faces of the plinth and step are inscribed with the names of the fallen. The tapering octagonal shaft has a moulded base and offsets to the corners, rising to entwined foliage mouldings with further offset and gablet detailing, above a carved shield with a cross of St George to each face. The front (west) face has an elaborate sword of sacrifice below the shield. A cross surmounts the shaft and has foliage mouldings between the arms.

An additional stone plaque is fixed to the north face of the memorial, inscribed in memory of fallen in later conflicts: DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN PALESTINE 1947/ MERVYN HAROLD PAICE/ DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN KOREA 1951/ TERENCE EDWARD WATERS GC.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 15 December 2016.