Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A First World War Memorial with later additions for the Second World War and Korean War.

Monument Types

• WAR MEMORIAL (Modern to Unknown - 1921 AD)

Full description

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From the National Heritage List for England:
"

Summary

A First World War Memorial with later additions for the Second World War and Korean War.




Reasons for Designation

Chipstead War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

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

Architectural interest:

* as a well-composed Latin cross monument which stands as a good example of its type for the period.




History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Prior to then 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 which led 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 war memorial was erected Chipstead, on Homedean Road, adjacent to what is now the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. A meeting of the Chipstead War Memorial Committee was held on 30 April 1920, at which the grounds of the Mission Hall were chosen as the site for the memorial and the design of a cross, to be built by W P Banks of Dunton Green, was agreed. A sum of £1,400 to £1,500 was collected for the erection of the memorial, with £100 allocated for future upkeep. The memorial and a Roll of Honour tablet in the Mission Hall were unveiled by Countess Stanhope on 16 January 1921 at a ceremony led by Rev R H Streatfield and attended by Canon Hall.

Following the end of the Second World War the names of the fallen from that conflict were added to the memorial. A name from the Korean War has also since been added. The post and chain fence around the memorial are later additions. The memorial was cleaned and restored, with mortar and lettering repaired, in October 2018.

Details

First World War Memorial, designed in 1920 by W P Banks of Dunton Green and unveiled in 1921.

MATERIALS: Kentish ragstone with granite tablets.

DESCRIPTION: Chipstead War Memorial stands within the grounds of Chevening Parish Hall and the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. The stone memorial takes the form of a Latin Cross atop an orb which is set on an octagonal shaft rising from an octagonal pedestal on a three-stepped base. Granite panels bearing incised inscriptions are recessed within each face of the pedestal.

The east face of the pedestal bears the inscription ‘ROLL OF HONOUR/ IN/ GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THOSE WHO FELL/ IN THE SERVICE OF/ KING AND COUNTRY/ 1914 – 1918/ AND OF THOSE WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE WAR OF/ 1939 – 1945’, while the west face of the pedestal reads ‘KOREAN WAR/ (1 NAME)/ SONS OF THIS PLACE/ LET THIS OF YOU BE SAID/ THAT YOU WHO LIVE/ ARE WORTHY OF YOUR DEAD/ THESE GAVE THEIR LIVES/ THAT YOU WHO LIVE MAY REAP/ A RICHER HARVEST/ ERE YOU FALL ASLEEP/ (CROSS SYMBOL)’. The remaining faces of the pedestal record the names of 28 fallen from the First World War and 18 fallen from the Second World War." (1)

<1> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading