After the first world war (WW1) the United Kingdom (UK) saw its biggest ever display of public commemoration.
Amazingly the construction of tens of thousands of memorials paid for from public and private funding and also public subscription in many British villages, towns and cities resulted in there being only a few locations around Britain that does not have a WW1 memorial.
These memorials vary in size and design, everything from The Cenotaph In central London, to a small plaque in a rural church, yet they each hold equal importance and significance.
After coming across a story in my local newspaper in 2019 about 22 of the memorials being given listed status I took to documenting these as I pass them on my journeys around the UK.
This album will be updated and added to from time to time as I encounter these important structures and memorials on my travels.
All the information that is supplied with these images is sourced from the EDP news paper and the WW1 Monuments and memorials in the United Kingdom website
West Somerton.
The memorial, erected around 1920 on the junction of Church Road and Winterton Road, is a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 15 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. The memorial commemorates the fallen from both East and West Somerton and as such is located between the two settlements. Part of the First World War inscription is adapted from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the two men who fell in that conflict, one of which was presumably added at a later date.
Upper Sheringham.
The memorial, erected around 1920 within All Saints churchyard, is a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the eight members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was altered after the Second World War to include the name of a serviceman who died in that conflict.
Sutton.
The war memorial is thought to have been erected in St Michael's churchyard around 1920. It commemorates four local servicemen who fell in the First World War and was later altered to commemorate losses in the Second World War. A small memorial has been added to commemorate the service of John Phillips in Bosnia.
West Lynn.
The memorial is situated within the churchyard of St Peter’s Church. The memorial was presumably erected around 1920. The memorial commemorates 25 local servicemen who fell in the First World War and four men who fell in the Second World War. New plaques were affixed to the four faces of the memorial base between April 2008 and May 2010 following a request by the church for public views on how to make the names legible again.
Wramplington.
No records of the unveiling of the memorial at the junction between Wymondham Road and The Street have been found, though it is presumed to have been erected around 1920, as most memorials were. Following the Second World War, the name of a single parishioner who died during that conflict was added to the memorial.
Thuxton with Garveston.
No records of the erection of the memorial located at the entrance to St Margaret’s churchyard have been found, though it is presumed to have been raised in 1919, as its inscription records. The memorial commemorates eight local servicemen who fell in the First World War and five men who fell in the Second World War.
Yaxham.
The war memorial at Yaxham was designed by Mr WG Horseman of Southampton and erected by Messrs Bowman and Sons of Stamford at a cost of £154. The memorial was located in a new extension to St Peter's churchyard, which was dedicated at the same time. This took place on Sunday, September 21, 1919, and was conducted by the Bishop of Thetford. The war memorial was altered following the Second World War to commemorate the losses of that conflict.
Hunstanton.
A memorial was raised at Esplanade Gardens in 1921 as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by 53 members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Following the Second World War, the names of 15 members of the local community who lost their lives were added to the war memorial, and the names of two men who served and passed away have been added since (1949 and 1979). The memorial was repaired, cleaned and the gardens around it were re-landscaped in 2010, and the memorial was re-dedicated in 2011.