Caistor War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, erected 15 August 1920, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Caistor War Memorial, which is situated in Butter Market at the junction of Market Place and South Street, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* As an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* As a well-executed Greek cross memorial.

Group value:

* With various listed buildings, including 22 South Street, 28 South Street and 30 South Street (all Grade II-listed).

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Caistor as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

It was unveiled on 15 August 1920 by Lord Charles Alfred Worsley (the 4th Earl of Yarborough) and was dedicated by Reverend G S Tyack. The memorial commemorates the 39 local servicemen who died during the First World War.

Following the Second World War the 13 names of the dead from that conflict were added to the memorial.

Details

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

DESCRIPTION: Caistor War Memorial is located at Butter Market, at the junction of Market Place and South Street. There are various listed buildings in the vicinity including 22 South Street, 28 South Street and 30 South Street (all Grade II-listed).

It consists of a stone Greek cross atop an octagonal shaft with a splayed foot. The shaft rises from an octagonal plinth on a three-stepped base. The height of the lower step of the base rises at the southern side to accommodate the sloping site on which the memorial stands.

The inscriptions and names are on the plinth; all lettering is incised. The dedicatory text is located on three sides of the plinth. The west face reads TO THE/ MEN/ OF CAISTOR/ WHO DIED/ FOR THEIR/ COUNTRY, the north face reads DEDICATED/ A. D./ 1920 and the east face reads THEIR NAME/ LIVETH/ FOR/ EVERMORE. The remaining faces carry the names of the dead from the First and Second World Wars.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The memorial is enclosed by later metal railings*.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 31 January 2018.

Sources

Books and journals
Credland, M, The First World War Memorials of Lincolnshire, (2014), pp27

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 6 September 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2584
‘Caistor War Memorial’, Roll of Honour, accessed 06 September 2017 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Lincolnshire/Caistor.html
War Memorials Online, accessed 31 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/193486

Other
‘Caistor War Memorial’, Lincolnshire Echo, (16 August 1920), pp3

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