Building record MDR13659 - War Memorial, Station Road, Stanley

A memorial obelisk to the First World War. The memorial is built of granite. It takes the form of an obelisk on a tapered plinth. (1) 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: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Stanley as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the parish who lost their lives in the First World War. A meeting was held in 1919 to consider a public war memorial with the site being inspected and chosen in 1921. The memorial commemorates six local servicemen who died during the First World War. Following the Second World War, a dedication was added to commemorate the four fallen of that conflict. The memorial was conserved in 2008 with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust. At that time the inscription on the lower step was changed from inset metal letters to incised lettering. The war memorial is located on Station Road in Stanley village and is constructed from grey polished granite. It consists of a tall granite obelisk, square on plan, on a tapering granite plinth. The shaft of the obelisk has polished panels on all faces, whilst the foot of the obelisk and the plinth are polished on the front faces only. The bottom of the panel on the front face of the obelisk is decorated with an engraved laurel wreath. The plinth stands on a two-stepped concrete base: on the front face of the top step is embedded a rectangular marble tablet. The front panel of the plinth bears the inscription TO/ THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THIS VILLAGE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1919./ (6 NAMES)/ “HEROES ALL, FOR US THEY DIED”. The marble tablet reads WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945/ (4 NAMES). Stanley and Stanley Common Parish 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 this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20; * Architectural interest: an elegant obelisk in the Classical style. (2)