Stanway War Memorial

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Stanway War Memorial
United Kingdom
Stanway War Memorial (geograph 2333409).jpg
For men from Stanway killed in the First World War
Unveiled3 April 1921
Location 51°59′16″N1°54′45″W / 51.9878°N 1.9126°W / 51.9878; -1.9126
Stanway, Gloucestershire
Designed by Alexander Fisher (statue)
Philip Sidney Stott (column)
Eric Gill (lettering)
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameStanway War Memorial
Designated7 September 1987
Reference no. 1154209

Stanway War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the village of Stanway in Gloucestershire, England. It is a grade II* listed building. [1]

Contents

History

The First World War saw the deaths of over 880,000 members of the British Armed Forces. [2] The scale of loss, impacting almost every community in the country, occasioned a deep emotional need to honour the dead; "no greater wave of public remembrance has ever happened in history". [3] This reaction saw the creation of tens of thousands of war memorials across Britain, from simple wooden plaques recording the names of the dead, to national monuments such as The Cenotaph on Whitehall in London. [a]

The village of Stanway in north Gloucestershire, a small settlement of some 300 people, contains two such war memorials; a commemoration in the stained glass window in the church chancel, [5] and a column and sculpture at a crossroads to the south of the village. [6] Both were the inspiration of Lady Mary Elcho, whose husband's family, the Earls of Wemyss and March owned the manor in the village, Stanway House. [7] Two of the Elcho's four sons had been killed in the war, Yvo in 1915 and Hugo in 1916. [8] Lady Elcho chaired a village committee which undertook fundraising for the memorial, and she commissioned Alexander Fisher, a sculptor, painter and jeweller who had worked for her mother, to design the bronze statue of Saint George and the Dragon which forms the centrepiece of the memorial. Advice on the design was given by Philip Sidney Stott, an engineer and architect who lived at nearby Stanton and created the column and steps; while the lettering of the inscriptions was undertaken by Eric Gill. The memorial was unveiled on 30 October 1920, and was dedicated by Edgar Gibson, Bishop of Gloucester. [9]

Architecture and description

Notes

  1. ↑ During the centenary commemorations in 2018-2018, Historic England listed, or upgraded existing listings, for over 2,500 war memorials. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Historic England. "Stanway War Memorial (1154209)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  2. ↑ https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/deaths-first-and-second-world-wars/
  3. ↑ https://historicengland.org.uk/research/current/discover-and-understand/military/first-world-war-home-front/land/war-memorials/
  4. ↑ https://historicengland.org.uk/research/current/discover-and-understand/military/first-world-war-home-front/land/war-memorials/
  5. ↑ Verey & Brooks 2000, p. 628.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Stanway War Memorial (Grade II*) (1154209)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Stanway House (Grade II*) (1154381)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  8. ↑ http://www.epitaphsofthegreatwar.com/two-sons-of-the-souls-hugo-and-yvo-charteris/
  9. ↑ Historic England. "Stanway War Memorial (Grade II*) (1154209)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 July 2025.

Sources

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