Showcase result

Linch

Linch war memorial stands at the junction of Linch Road and Midhurst Road which is within the South Downs National Park. The memorial is a slim column topped by a cross which stands on a four-stepped base. The plinth at the foot of the column carries the inscription and names of the fallen above which is displayed a figure of St George.

On 25th January 2014 the war memorial was badly damaged when it was hit by a falling tree during storms. As a result the local community approached War Memorials Trust to apply for a Small Grants Scheme award to repair the memorial. An offer of £2,075 was made towards a project which included surveying the damage and establishing how much original material could be used; removing the pieces of the shaft to a workshop where damaged stone could be removed and holes drilled for appropriate dowels to be inserted to connect the pieces of the shaft; identification of new matching stone to replace the damaged material; works to piece in new stone to damaged areas and re-erection of the stone shaft with appropriate pinning, epoxy resin and stainless steel dowels. Fortunately the sculpture of St George was undamaged but as part of the project it was recommended that SmartWater be applied through the In Memoriam 2014 project to provide additional protection. Works were complete over the summer and it is wonderful to see the war memorial restored for the community to use through the centenary and beyond.

The memorial was dedicated in 1921. As the St Luke’s Church order of service for Remembrance Day notes the memorial was designed by B. G. C. Shore. The original figure of St George was believed to have been designed by Shore as well but it went missing at some point which led to a replacement figure being created by sculptor Philip Jackson which was dedicated in September 2000.

The memorial remembers the fallen of both World War I and II. The inscription reads:

“To the glory of God
and in memory of
those who leaving
this parish during
the Great War died for
their country
we of Lynch
dedicate this cross”

This memorial is a good example of how the accuracy of inscriptions can sometimes be challenged. This area was known as Lince in the Doomsday book, is spelt Lynch on the war memorial but today is known as Linch. War Memorials Trust believes it is important to respect the choices of those who erected the memorials and as such Lynch should remain as it reflects the history of the memorial and the name those remembered would have recognized.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM2277
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 59103

War Memorials Online: 180423

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

Return to search results | Start a new search