"STETCHWORTH WAR MEMORIAL"

To the eternal memory of the men of STETCHWORTH who died in the service of their country
One in the Boer War, Twenty six in the Great War of 1914-1919 and five in 1939-1945

Stetchworth has an external memorial and a plaque inside St Peter's Church. The external memorial stands on a grassed area at the junction of Church Lane and the High Street, built c1920 by W.J. Nutty. On a limestone plinth, panelled base to slim tapering shaft with acanthus scroll finial. The pillar stands on a plinth with a moulded top and base, on a two-stepped base. On all four sides of the base of the shaft are triangular pieces of stone capped with a trefoil shape. Each triangle is inscribed with a floriate motif (Thistle in trefoil on North, Rose in trefoil on East, Shamrock in trefoil on South and Leek in trefoil of West). Dedications are inscribed on the two faces of the plinth and names of the World War I fallen are inscribed on the other two faces. All the lettering is painted black. The memorial stands on a concrete area behind a low post and chain fence. In 2004/5 English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation offered a grant of £830 towards work to clean the memorial of lichen, to remove and re-lay the concrete surround and to re-paint and re-set the posts and chain in the new concrete. The names of Pte. F.BRADFORD and L/Cpl H.J.PEARSON are missing from the external memorial but are included on the panel inside the church.

The dedication is on the east face of the plinth (facing the church):-

ERECTED BY VOLUNTARY
SUBSCRIPTION TO
COMMEMORATE THE
SACRIFICE OF THESE
MEN

and on the west face

1914-1918
LEST WE
FORGET
and beneath that on the base
1939-1945
BATEMAN H.F.
BURLING A.J.
CARLTON A.W.
HIGHSTED T.H.
MARSHALL R.G.

on the north and south faces are the names of the fallen of the GREAT WAR.
South
AVES A.
BRADFORD A.
CARLTON B.
CATES W.H.
CLAYDON W.
CLAYDON E.A.
COWDRAY S.J.
COOPER J.W.
COOPER G.F.
DANIEL S.J.
GATES C.A.
GATES G.A.
and on the north
FULLER J.A.
LANCASTER G.W.
MURKIN F.
NICHOLS P.B.
NICHOLS J.W.
PEARMAN C.W.
ROOTE W.
SETCHELL S.J.
SMITH J.
WOOLLARD R.
WELLS G.W.
WELLS W.

Within the church is a wall mounted wooden panel. Surmounted by a cross, the panel carries the dedication:-

TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THOSE
WHO FROM THIS PARISH FELL IN THE
GREAT WAR OF 1914-198
WHOSE NAMES ARE RECORDED BELOW

below this the 26 names with Pte F Bradford and L/Cpl H.J.Pearson included

below the names:-

LORD ALL-PITYING JESU BLEST
GRANT THEM THINE ETERNAL REST

St.Peter's Church, Stetchworth

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They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them.