Cross of Sacrifice

First World War, Second World War 1 Minute

The sheer number of bodies left lying on the battlefields of the Great War is today beyond belief and by 1915 the situation was already becoming reprehensible. Burials were frequently made without any planning or organisation with graves marked by a simple wooden cross, sometimes with the name scratched on in pencil.

Major General Fabian Ware, who commanded a mobile ambulance unit during the First World War, quickly recognised that this could not continue. Ware believed that the war dead should all be treated alike with no distinction between wealth and status. The headstones should all be uniform, displaying name, rank and regimental badge with an inscription chosen by the family.

It was Reginald Blomfield who designed the memorial, the Cross of Sacrifice, which is now familiar worldwide. The design was delegated to a team of architects and when disagreements occurred among the team Blomfield had the final say. Blomfield’s design became so popular it was adopted everywhere from battlefield cemeteries to churchyards where there were more than 40 war graves.

Messrs B. Turvey and Sons, of Bath, have been successful in securing contracts for headstones at the British Military Hospital, at Ovillers, France, and also at Swindon. They have also been commissioned to supply the War memorials at Swindon (Radnor Street Cemetery), and at Arnos Vale (RC) Cemetery Bristol. The former will take the form of a Cross of Sacrifice, with a bronze sword* on the face of it, and the latter will be a Screen Wall, with moulded panels bearing the names of the soldiers who were interred in the cemetery.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette Saturday 22 August 1925

*the sword is now a resin replacement

Join us tomorrow, Sunday November 10, 2024 for a Service of Remembrance. Meet at the Cross of Sacrifice for 2 pm.

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Published by Radnor Street Cemetery

I am a local historian and writer researching the history of Radnor Street Cemetery in Swindon. I have written three books - Struggle and Suffrage in Swindon: Women's Lives and the Fight for Equality published by Pen and Sword and The Ladies of Lydiard and West Swindon - What the eye doesn't see written in collaboration with Angela Atkinson and Roger Ogle both published by Hobnob Press.

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2 thoughts on “Cross of Sacrifice”

  1. Fascinating as always. The sheer loss of young men’s lives on both sides, the determination of the generals to use outmoded methods of fighting and the dreadful battlefield conditions still make me incredibly sad. Watching “For King and Country, ” presented by Dirk Bogarde, as a 15 years old so sickened me that I refused to study the A level syllabus including WW I. I so wish it really had been the war to end all wars. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

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