War memorials in the borough

The War Memorial on London Road was a First World War memorial erected in 1923. It was later updated for the Second World War. In 2016, it was added to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest and is now listed at Grade II.

Read the listing for the London Road War Memorial (Historic England)

At Worting Road cemetery there is a large stone cross memorial called the 'Cross of Sacrifice' which stand close to the War Graves from the First and Second World Wars. The cross was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Find out more information about war memorials and war graves

Names on borough war memorials

In 2014, as part of the commemorations to mark the 100^th anniversary of the start of the First World War, the names on war memorials across the borough were captured in a memorial booklet with the help of town and parish councils.

WW1 Centenary memorial names booklet(PDF) [674 kb]

If you require an accessible version of this booklet, please get in touch at communications@basingstoke.gov.uk

Roll of Honour

Inscribed with the names of those who served in H M Forces in the European War 1914 to 1919 the Basingstoke Roll of Honour was drawn up in 1916. More than 1,200 local service men who fought in the Great War are named on the document which has been digitally enhanced and preserved by Hampshire Records Office in special packaging for future generations to view.

According to local historian David Stewart, Miss Alice Fisher of Cliddesden Road presented the Mayor and Basingstoke Town Council with the list of 1,036 names of local men who were serving or had been serving in the Forces up to that time. The list had been inscribed by Mr Ernest Henry George Bolley and it was agreed that Mr Bolley would further inscribe the names of men joining up afterwards.

The names listed on the Roll of Honour are of those serving in the Army, Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, along with Basingstoke men who emigrated to parts of the Commonwealth and served in the Forces of Canada and Australia.

The original Roll of Honour is held at the Hampshire Record Office, in Sussex Street, Winchester, where it is available for public viewing.

Victoria Cross memorials

First World War heroes from the borough who received the Victoria Cross were honoured with commemorative paving stones as part of a national project organised by the Department for Communities and Local Government to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

The special paving stones were laid in the areas were the recipients were born on the 100^th anniversary of the Victoria Cross hero’s death.

Captain John Aiden Liddell

Captain Liddell joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, before transferring to the Royal Flying Corp to serve as a pilot. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in recognition of safely landing his aircraft on friendly territory and saving the life of his observer gunner, despite his injuries and aircraft damage.

In July 2015, the then Mayor Cllr Anne Court and The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire Nigel Atkinson LL unveiled the first of the borough’s memorial stones in commemoration of Captain John Aiden Liddell in Sherfield on Loddon. The memorial stone was presented to Sherfield on Loddon Parish Council in recognition of where the Liddell family originally made their home.

Lance Corporal James Welch VC

Awarded the Victoria Cross for his act of heroism during the Battle of Arras, on 29 April 1917. He had entered a German trench and killed a German soldier after a hand-to-hand struggle, before chasing four others across the land and capturing them single-handedly. He then manned a machine gun for five hours before being wounded.

The memorial stone for Lance Corporal James Welch VC was unveiled in Stratfield Saye, the village where he was born on Saturday 29 April 2017, by the then Mayor Cllr Jane Frankum and dignitaries from across the borough.