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Pitsea |
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Pitsea: The War Memorial
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Location:
Year of photo:
Copyright: N/A
Source: A commercial postcard
Comments: The war memorial in its original setting at Station
Lane. |
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The Pitsea War Memorial that now stands in Howard Park off Howard Crescent
originally stood in Station Lane and was unveiled on Sunday 18th November, 1928. It was presented to Pitsea by Harold George
Howard, landowner and founder of Howard's Dairies, who bore its cost and lived locally at Blue
House Farm. It was sited on its own island in the centre of Station Lane at its junction
with the High Road.
The unveiling ceremony and dedication service was performed by guest
of honour Sir Beachcroft Towse V.C., K.C.V.O., C.B.E., and the Rector of Pitsea, Rev. Ernest
William Grevatt. Revds. Joseph B. Brightman and H. Stevens were also present and took part in
the proceedings. It was erected to the memory of the men from Pitsea and Bowers Gifford
who fell in the Great War, and takes the form of a greek maiden representing life holding a torch
of truth and carrying an olive branch in the left hand. The column on which the figure stands is
of Cornish granite and the torch, held in the right hand, was illuminated at night. Proposals
for a war memorial in some form or another had been the subject of discussion when the local parish
council met two years earlier on 23rd August, 1926. Among the proposals put forward were either
a clock tower, a monument or recreation ground. It was also disclosed that Mr. Howard was
prepared to solely finance a monument and that the intended location was the Station Lane junction
with the High Road. |
Inscriptions
The non-denominational memorial commemorates both world wars with inscriptions in capital letters on all four sides as follows: |
TO THE GLORIOUS
MEMORY OF
THE MEN OF PITSEA
AND BOWERS GIFFORD
WHO FELL IN THE
GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918.
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AT THE GOING DOWN
OF THE SUN
AND IN THE MORNING,
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
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THEIR NAME LIVETH
FOR EVERMORE.
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IN REMEMBRANCE OF
LOCAL COMRADES WHO FELL
IN THE 1939 - 1945 CONFLICT
AND ALL SUBSEQUENT CONFLICTS |
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Front left:
BOWERS GIFFORD
FRANKLIN, J.
HARRISON, W. E.
OCKENDON, W.
PAYNE, C.
PAYNE, V.
POLLEY, C.
REED, G. |
Front right:
PITSEA
CAMPBELL, F.
CROUCH, J. G.
FARRANT, W.
GRAY, S. B.
LOVETT, C.
MEREDITH, R.
MUGGLETON, F. R.
SMITH, L. G.
STREET, T. |
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THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY
H. G. HOWARD
OF BLUE HOUSE, PITSEA.
1928.
ALSO
TO THE MEMORY OF
HOWARD, F. A.
HOWARD, R. D.
LORD, A. M.
WHO FELL IN ACTION
1914 - 1918. |
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Resited to Howard Park
In 1969 two road projects; the long awaited A13 Vange and Pitsea bypass
and the continuation of East Mayne (as South Mayne), would, when completed, change the look of
Pitsea for the foreseeable future. In order that two flyovers, a roundabout and link roads be
constructed the existing Pitsea Market was moved to an adjacent field and Station Lane was truncated
to a cul-de-sac. The war memorial wasn't affected directly by any of this but around August the
previous year it was agreed between the development corporation and the Pitsea & District
branch of the British Legion, then led by Howard Pembroke, that the memorial would be moved from
Station Lane and the existing busy A13 route to a new site, preferably in Howard Park. Years
earlier in December 1961 and perhaps in anticipation of future developments the local newspaper
reported that the British Legion submitted a request to the council's Parks Committee to resite
it in Howard Park. Although the response is unknown and it remained at Station Lane, the 1968
rememberance day service did prove to be the last on the current site and the war memorial was
resited later in 1969 to its new location on the north side of Howard Park where it remains to
this day. Basildon Council are responsible for its maintenance.
Basildon has two more war memorials. These can be found at High
Road, Laindon and Clay Hill Road, Vange.
Other points of interest:
1) Sir
Ernest Beachcroft Beckwith Towse V.C., K.C.V.O., C.B.E., (23/04/1864–21/06/1948). 2) Howard Park renamed in June
2012 to Howard Diamond Jubilee Park to honour Queen Elizabeth II 60 year reign. 3) The two lower inscriptions to the front face of the memorial 'IN
REMEMBRANCE OF LOCAL COMRADES WHO FELL IN THE 1939 - 1945 CONFLICT' and 'AND ALL SUBSEQUENT CONFLICTS' was added sometime after its removal
to Howard Park in 1969. |
| Page added: 2013 |
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Text researched and written by William Cox, 2013 with revisions 2019.
Copyright © 2013, 2019, B. Cox - Basildon History Online. All rights reserved. |
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