Holne War Memorial

The tall granite memorial cross stands in the churchyard, immediately to the south-east of the Church of St Mary the Virgin (Grade I) and close to Grade II-listed structures including a possibly late-medieval cross.

The plain Latin cross, octagonal in section with short, tapered, cross arms, rises from a slim pedestal. The pedestal stands on a three-stage plinth, and the plinth is raised on a three-stepped base. The plinth stages are octagonal in plan whilst the base steps are square on plan.

The principal dedicatory inscription runs across the front three faces of the pedestal. It reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN HONOURED MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF HOLNE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT/ WAR. The dates 1914 – 1918 are inscribed on the upper stage of the plinth below. The plinth’s middle stage, which is the re-used older socket-stone (possibly from the adjacent earlier cross), carries the inscription THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT ECCLUS 44-13, each word on one face.

The commemorated First World War names are listed on the front three faces of the bottom plinth stage, whilst the later Second World War name is recorded on the riser of the upper step of the base, reading 1939 – 1945/ (NAME). An inscription on the front face of this upper step reads ERECTED/ BY GRATEFUL PARISHIONERS. All the inscriptions are in applied metal letters.