Meopham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Meopham War Memorial, which stands on Meopham Green, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a tall and well-executed memorial cross.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. One such memorial was raised at Meopham as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 53 members of the local community, who lost their lives in the First World War. Following the Second World War, the details of 14 men who fell in that conflict were added.

The memorial was designed by Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA. In his early work for the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission Baker made a proposal for a cross to stand in all of the Commission’s cemeteries, but a design by Sir Reginald Blomfield was chosen. Although the Commission’s architects were free to use crosses of their own choice within the cemeteries that they designed, the Blomfield cross proved to be the universal choice. Baker, nevertheless, used variants of his cross design for a number of English war memorials, including that at Meopham.

Sir Herbert Baker FRIBA RA (1862-1946) was born, and died, in Cobham, his English home. Articled to Arthur Baker in 1881, he was Assistant to Messrs Ernest George and Peto (1886-90) and attended the Royal Academy Schools. During the 1890s he was in South Africa, designing the Prime Ministerial residence ‘Groote Schuur’ and many private residences as well as government buildings following the South African union. From 1912 he collaborated with Sir Edwin Lutyens in India on New Dehli. From 1917 to 1928 Baker was one of the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission principal architects, for whom he designed 113 cemeteries on the Western Front including Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. He was also responsible for four Memorials to the Missing including those to the South Africans at Delville Wood and the Indians at Neuve Chapelle. He designed twenty-four war memorials in England. During the inter-war years his work at home included South Africa House (Grade II*), Rhodes House (Grade II*) and, his last major public commission, the Bank of England (Grade I).

Details

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: Meopham War Memorial stands in the northern corner of Meopham Green, facing the road, in a small garden. It consists of a stone cross rising from a moulded collar on an octagonal shaft. That stands on an octagonal stone plinth with a slight cornice, and a two-stepped octagonal base.

Around the circumference of the plinth’s cornice the principal dedicatory inscription reads TO THE GLORY/ OF GOD AND/ IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF/ MEOPHAM WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT/ WAR 1914 – 1918. The faces of the plinth bear the names of those who lost their lives.

There is an additional stone tablet at the foot of the memorial commemorating Second World War losses. The tablet bears the inscription AND TO THOSE WHO/ FELL IN THE SECOND/ WORLD WAR 1939-1945 (14 NAMES).

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Two grey granite flower vases flank the Second World War tablet: these vases are not of special interest.


This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 30 November 2016.

This List entry was subject to a Minor Enhancement on 10/05/2017

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 30/11/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1151
Kent Fallen, Meopham, accessed 15/04/2016 from http://www.kentfallen.com/PDF%20reports/MEOPHAM.pdf
War Memorials Online, accessed 30/11/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/151296

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