Monument record MDR22418 - Morton War Memorial, Juntion of Stretton Road, Main Road and Church Lane, Morton

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, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and 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 Morton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Morton War Memorial was paid for by public subscription and the land on which it stands was donated by Miss Gadsby who lived at Church Farm, adjacent to the site. The memorial was sited in a raised paved semi-circular enclosure defined by railings and a low stone wall, mapped on the 1938 Ordnance Survey map. In 1953 money raised at Coronation festivities in the village was donated to the Memorial Committee to provide entrance gates to the memorial’s enclosure with stepped access. A bronze plaque which carries the inscription might also have been added then as it carries the Second World War names and contemporary photographs reveal that the inscriptions were originally incised into the stone plinth. In 2012 the memorial and railings were repaired with the help of grant aid from War Memorials Trust. The memorial is constructed of Rowsley sandstone, and comprises a Latin cross surmounting a shaft with a Sword of Sacrifice carved in relief onto its front face. The cross rises from a tapered stone plinth which bears a bronze plaque with the names of the 21 men from the village who fell in the First World War and the 12 who fell in the Second World War. The plinth is set on a square base, which stands on a stone step above the level of the paved enclosure. The inscription on the plaque reads: THE GLORIOUS DEAD/ 1914 – 1919/ (NAMES)/ 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES). The memorial stands in a raised stone-paved, semi-circular enclosure, accessed by two steps. The enclosure is defined by a low stone wall as a backdrop with iron railings at the front furnished with decorative entrance gates. See list description for more details. (1)