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Whitchurch

Whitchurch war memorial is located at the roadside of Whitchurch Hill. It is a Portland stone Celtic cross with tapering shaft surmounting a pyramidal pedestal on a five-stepped base. At the rear of the memorial stands a three-part double height backdrop wall incised with the names of the fallen.

In 1990 a storm caused a tree to fall on the memorial which shattered the original cross. Unfortunately the memorial was at that time uninsured, so the remains of the column were re-erected and a simple cross added at the top of the plinth.

In 2016, War Memorials Trust offered a grant of £3,450 towards conservation works through War Memorials Trust Grants Scheme supported by the First World War Memorials Programme. The focus of the project was to reinstate the original design of the memorial. Using archival evidence, including historic photographs, the original design was reinstated with a new shaft and cross in Portland stone. This case shows the importance of keeping records on war memorials and understanding their development. Alongside the reinstatement works the base of the memorial and rear wall were cleaned using the DOFF steam cleaning system.

In 1919 a meeting was called to discuss the idea of a war memorial in Whitchurch and by March 1919 a committee had been formed. In December 1919 a list of names of the fallen was published, with their ranks and regiments. By November 1919, the new committee was unanimous in its decision to erect a memorial cross and had an artist prepare a design. By December 1920 a site had been chosen, at a mid point between the two parts of the parish. The memorial was dedicated on 20th November 1921. The memorial was designed by Frank Loughborough Pearson. The contractor was T Boxall & Sons of Pangbourne and the stone mason was Messrs Toms & Son of Forbury Road, Reading. The total cost was £394-17-6 which was raised from local donations. The names of the dead of the 1939-45 war were added following World War II.

The inscriptions read:

These men of
Whitchurch 
gave up their own lives 
in the Great War
1914-1919
That others might live in freedom 

The names from World War I are listed and on another side the dates and fallen of World War II.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM9213
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 31796

War Memorials Online:138550

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

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