St Ives War Memorial
There are several tributes around the town to local men who gave their lives during World War I. A plaque in the Methodist Church commemorates 16 members of the congregation who died in WWI. There's a similar memorial to members in the Literary Institute.
The most obvious is St Ives War Memorial, in the Market Hill, unveiled on 11 November 1920. Created in the image of the Cross of Sacrifice designed by Reginald Blomfield, it features an elongated cross with bronze longsword pointing downwards. Made of limestone, a close look reveals hundreds of tiny fossils on its surface. There are more than a thousand similar memorials in Commonwealth war cemeteries across France, Belgium and throughout the world where there are over forty graves present. Many memorials in Great Britain also used Blomfield's design.
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| St Ives War Memorial unveiling, 1920. |
The St Ives War Memorial plinth has the following words inscribed.
MEN OF ST IVES WHO HAVE FALLEN IN THE GREAT WARMDCCCXIV MDCCCXVIII
WE HERE HIGHLY RESOLVE THAT THESE DEADSHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN.
The Monument shows 74 names of those killed in WWI. Listed below are all those names. Click any entry to read the personal story behind the name.
Of the 74 names, 32 have no known grave. Why so many? There are a variety of reasons. Thousands of small burial plots were created on or very close behind the battlefields. Although registered, in 1918 many were over-run first by the German advance and later by the Allies pushing East again. This resulted in uncertainty about their exact locations. Plots were destroyed by shelling.
Sometimes bodies were not found. If killed during an assault, the soldier might lie in no-man's-land for some considerable time, increasing the chances of burial by shellfire. A direct hit by a shell would leave very little evidence, the unfortunate soldier being blown to pieces.
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| Families of the fallen gather around the War Memorial after the unveiling, 1920. |
In the life stories, no special mention is made when men were awarded the Star Medal, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Never awarded singly, these medals were issued to all British officers and men who served in any theatre of war during WWI.
Some entries include a photograph of the person named. Most do not. If you can supply a photo or any additional information, please get in touch. To read more articles about St Ives in WWI, click WWI.
Names on St Ives War Memorial
PTE H THOMAS ALLEN
PTE H THOMAS ALLEN
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