Memorial details

Memorial type
Cross
District
South Oxfordshire
Town
Wheatley
County
Oxfordshire
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Rededicated
    Date: 1974
    Attended by: Undefined
  • Dedicated
    Date: 8 February 1921
    Attended by: Archbishop of York,Bishop of Winchester
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
31795

Support IWM

Donate with Just Giving

Any gift we receive makes a vital contribution to our ongoing work, from conserving our collection to supporting our public programme.

Make a Donation
Current location

In the old burial ground
opposite the King and Queen Public House
High Street
Wheatley
South Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
OX33 1XT
England

OS Grid Ref: SP 59546 05701
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • Magdalen College
    High Street
    Oxford
    Oxford
    Oxfordshire
    OX1
    England

    OS Grid Ref: SP 520 061
    Denomination: Undefined
Description
Stone cross with tapering octagonal shaft surmounting square plinth. Two-stepped stone base. 3 Slate tablets for Ww1 and 1 slate tablet for WW2.
Inscription
PRAISE GOD AND REMEMBER THE MEN/ WHO DIED FOR US IN THE GREAT WAR. 1914-1918/ North, north west and north east faces: (Names)/ South face: AND ALSO THOSE WHO DIED FOR US/ IN THE SECOND GREAT WAR/ 1939-1945/ (Names) North face:THIS MEMORIAL ONCE AT MAGDALEN COLLEGE COMMEMORATES THE INHABITANTS OF WHEATLEY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN TWO WORLD WARS/ 1974 West face: MCMXIV East face: MCMXVIII
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Avery, John
Barrett, Ernest
Barrett, William
Bizzell, Frederick
Busby, Joshua
Chapman, Gerald
Chapman, John Austin
Chiddington, George
Clements, James
Clements, William
See details for all 45 names
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 36
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 36
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, forenames
    Order of information: surname
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 9
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 9
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, forenames
    Order of information: surname
Components
  • Second World War memorial
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Slate
  • First World War memorial
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Slate
  • Base
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone
  • Steps
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone
  • Plinth
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone - Portland
  • Cross
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Stone - Portland
Listing information
  • Wheatley War Memorial
  • Grade II
  • This memorial is protected, and listed on the National Heritage List for England maintained by Historic England. View list entry
  • More about listing and the protection of historic places can be found on the Historic England website
  • Historic England
Condition
History
Early 1970s the original Wheatley cross (Our ref. 63487) was demolished as unsafe, and replaced by the cross from Magdalen, which originally had only the dates of WW1 in Roman numerals. When the WW2 names were included at Wheatley, forenames were added. In December of an unknown year in the 1980s the cross was snapped off by vandals, but restored six months later.
Costs

Comments: Cost of paving St John's quad was £2,000; it had previously been a lawn, and there was some opposition to situating the cross there: see references Brockliss and Roberts.
Memorial: £1,000

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Oct.1971: '..the College agreed to loan the cross indefinitely to the Wheatley branch of the Royal British Legion... It is not known how the British Legion came to make such an approach...' - D Roberts: 'Hidden Magdalen' (Oxford, 2008) p.42.
Reference
  • The Times 8 Feb. 1921 p.10;9 Feb.1921 pp,10,12,13; 10 Feb. 1921 p.7 8 Feb. 1921. description of cross 9 Feb. 1921. Report of dedication of cross in prsence of HRH The Prince of Wales, who unveiled the memorial tablets (Our ref. 31935). 10 Feb. 1921 architect identified as Alfred B Yeates, FRIBA
  • (ed.) L W B Brockliss:' Magdalen College Oxford: A History (Oxford: Magdalen College, 2008)pp.562-4. D Roberts: 'Hidden Magdalen (Oxford: Magdalen College, 2008 pp.42-3
  • SONS OF THIS PLACE COMMEMORATION OF THE WAR DEAD IN OXFORD'S COLLEGES AND INSTITUTIONS by UTECHIN, PATRICIA p.55 Source: Image Library UKNIWM Published:ROBERT DUGDALE 1998 OXFORD Cross was officialy handed to Royal British Legion in 1971.
  • Oxford Mail 1980s (unknown date) Report of vandalism of cross.
  • The Oxford Magazine 21 June 1923 p.457 '..it is sad that its erection has led to the sacrifice of the beautiful grass; the stone paving is hard and unattractive.'

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-31795

For queries, please contact [email protected].