Summary
A First World War memorial, built 1921; altered after the Second World War.
Reasons for Designation
Piddlehinton War Memorial 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:
* for its design, a well-executed Cross of Sacrifice.
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 750,000 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 Piddlehinton, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.
After the end of the First World War, a Committee was set up in the village to decide how Piddlehinton should commemorate the soldiers of the village who had lost their lives. The Committee, whose secretary was Col John Belgrave, considered a number of options for a suitable commemoration, including a Memorial Hall, a water supply for the village, a hand bier, and a window pane in the church dedicated to each man who fell. A memorial cross was eventually agreed upon, to be erected on a prominent triangular green at the crossroads at the centre of the village. The war memorial was unveiled and dedicated at a special service and ceremony in 1921. It was made of Ham Hill stone by Hounsell's Stone and Granite works of Broadway, Weymouth, who made crosses for many Dorset villages. The cost was £146 4s. 0d. including £10 for the hire of a horse to pull the base. The sum of £19 15s. 1d. was left over from the cost of the Memorial. At the suggestion of Mrs Belgrave, this was set aside to start a Village Hall Fund. The fund never raised enough money for a new construction, but the old school in Piddlehinton was converted into a village hall in 1981, using this money.
Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the men who fell in that conflict.
Details
A First World War memorial, built 1921; altered after the Second World War.
MATERIALS: Ham Hill limestone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a Cross of Sacrifice, with a relief-carved inverted sword superimposed on the arms and shaft of a Latin Cross of octagonal section. The moulded foot stands on a simple squared plinth, which stands on a two-stepped platform, the lowers step of which has a moulded tread. The principal face of the plinth is inscribed: TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF PIDDLEHINTON / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 – 1918. The upper step of the platform carries the inscription: FOR KING AND COUNTRY. The other faces of the plinth are inscribed with the names of the 17 men who lost their lives in the First World War, and, under the dates 1939 – 1945, those of the four men of the village who fell in that conflict.
