West Berkshire’s oldest Great War memorial standing at the junction of Common Lane facing down towards the church. Built largely from local ‘found materials’ in 1916 it commemorates the fourteen young men from the parishes of Brightwalton and Catmore who fell in World War 1.
The earliest known World War 1 memorial was erected in Rawtenstall, Lancashire in September 1915, very few more were erected before this memorial in Brightwalton. There it is quite possible that it was among the first dozen or so WW1 memorials in the country.
The memorial was constructed using various items already available in the village; only the shaft of the cross was new stone. The pavement and surrounds were constructed using old staddle stones, the base was that of a mediaeval cross that previously stood in the nearby churchyard and the cross itself was rescued from a nearby church (believed to be Peasemore) when it was being altered some decades earlier.
The inspiration for the memorial probably came from the Rector (Rev H F Howard) who had already lost two sons in the conflict. It was created for the inhabitants of both of his parishes: Brightwalton and neighbouring Catmore.
The inscription was completed after the war and the dates now read 1914 – 1919. Two bronze plaques containing the names of the fallen were added on low pillars either side of the cross.
The carving on the based became weatherworn and largely illegible so a plastic faux-brass plaque has been added, reading To the Glory of God in Memory of those who fell in the Great World War 1914 – 1919.
The memorial is in good condition.
This is much treasured memorial that holds an important place both in Brightwalton’s history and its ongoing remembrance of past and present sacrifices. It provides a landmark feature which contributes to the character of the conservation area, the boundary of which has a small kink to specifically encompass the memorial.The Memorial is a nationally recognized war memorial, number 9054 on the National Inventory of War Memorials, held by the Imperial War Museum. As a particularly early surviving example of a village memorial it has national significance.
Location
Open the location with: Google Maps | Bing Maps | OpenStreetMap