Goffs Oak War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with names added after the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial in Goff’s Oak is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* it is an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* it is an impressive monument of finely dressed Portland stone in the form of a cenotaph, sited prominently in the centre of the village.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Before this, memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, which was the first major war following reforms to the British Army, leading to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Goffs Oak as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was unveiled on 18 December 1920 at a ceremony attended by Admiral Sir Hedworth Meux G.C.B. K.C.V.O. Inscribed on the memorial are the names of the two architects, T Llewelyn Daniel and Raymond E Arnold, neither of whom have any listed buildings to their names; and the name of the stonemason J W Hanchett, Waltham Abbey.

Another plaque with the names of the three men who fell during the Second World War was subsequently added to the memorial.

Details

First World War memorial with names added after the Second World War.

MATERIALS: dressed Portland stone.

PLAN: the memorial is located in a central position in the historic centre of the village, at the junction of Goffs Lane, Cuffley Hill and Newgatestreet Road.

EXTERIOR: the memorial is in the form of a cenotaph, 16 feet (4.87m) in height, set upon a square plinth. On the front face of the cenotaph, at the top, is a plain stone tablet bearing the dates 1914-1918. Below this on the plinth is a moulded rectangular stone tablet inscribed IN/ MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF/ GOFFS OAK/ WHO/ LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR, surmounted by a carved laurel wreath. The names of the fallen are inscribed on the other three faces of the plinth. On the rear side of the cenotaph is mounted a plain stone tablet with the dates 1939-1945, along with the names of the three fallen men.

Sources

Websites
IWM War Memorials Register, accessed 8 May 2023 from www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1127
War Memorials Online, accessed 8 May 2023 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/216192

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