Wistow War Memorial

First World War memorial, 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

MATERIALS: granite.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located to the south in All Saints churchyard overlooking Church Hill and set within a rectangular area delineated by chamfered granite kerb stones. This measures 1.5m long and 0.8m wide and is filled with gravel.

The Celtic style wheel-head cross of grey granite with a tapering shaft surmounts a tapering plinth. The plinth is set on a two-stepped stone and concrete rectangular base. The memorial is approximately 3.3m in height. The southern faces of the shaft and base are smooth but the remaining faces of the memorial are rough-hewn.

The southern face of the shaft, the plinth and the base bear leaded lettering giving the dedication and names of the fallen. The main inscription on the shaft reads TO THE/ HONOUR OF/ THE MEN/ FROM WISTOW/ WHO FOUGHT/ FOR GOD, KING/ AND COUNTRY/ AND IN/ GRATEFUL/ MEMORY OF/ THOSE NAMED/ BELOW, WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR US IN THE/ GREAT WARS. The southern side of the plinth bears eighteen names of the men who fell during the First World War, organised by year, along with abbreviations for the regiment to which they belonged.

Below this, leaded lettering on the base reads “THE MEMORY OF THEIR SACRIFICE IS DEAR TO US”/ 1939 – 1945/ followed by the nine names of those who fell in the Second World War organised in alphabetical order.