history

Usefulness of memorials?

. To inspire unity “protest against village divide”

. Sense of harmony in the modern age

. Can give interpretation to social history and military history e.g. memorial in rural Norfolk shows disbandment of county battalion to other forces (such as Sussex) which highlights the scattered approach to war from Britain

. Some memorials from parish churches were used to make those who hadn’t fought feel inadequate, shows the countries thinking

What kind of memorials were built?

. Private memorials built in churches, paid for by the officers could be found from 18^th C onwards

. The church wanted Parish memorials claiming that this would best reflect the nature of the fallen and that the church was the centre of the community, they also angered non-conformist with the use of the cross on memorials and some erected their own wooden memorials placed in public places in defiance

Who built them and how were they funded?

. Rarely did one major benefactor pay for them, a lack of paternalism from the gentry perhaps influenced by the breaking up of large estates
. Door to door collection and public conscription

. Subcribers

.“Entertainments” funding was common and lucrative e.g. putting on shows or dance

What decisions were made about war memorials?
. Ideas of commemoration of soldiers being attributed to counties as early as 1782 but not taken seriously by British army til late Victorian era

. Plans for public commemoration in place by 1917 in some parts of the country

. Argued that a public memorial would be an expense and a tarnishment of those who lost their lives to be “exposed to rowdiness”