Fetcham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1919, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Fetcham War Memorial, which stands in the Garden of Remembrance, 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 sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural Interest: a tall and well-executed memorial cross;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary (Grade II*-listed).

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 Fetcham. On 12 May 1919, the Parish Council determined that a public meeting be held to discuss a parish war memorial. By October of that year the junction of River Lane and Stoke Road had been settled as the location for a memorial cross, commemorating 12 local men who died serving during the First World War.

Late in the Second World War, a fund was begun by the Residents' Association to help returning ex-Servicemen resettle into civilian life and provide support for their families. After the benefit payments were met, the remaining funds were used to inscribe on the war memorial the names of those 22 men who had been killed in action. At this time, in 1949, the cross was moved from the road junction some 1.2 km into a new Garden of Remembrance on The Ridgeway, close to the Church of St Mary (Grade II*-listed). The memorial’s base appears to have been slightly re-worked at this time.

Details

Fetcham War Memorial stands at the south-east corner of the Garden of Remembrance on The Ridgeway. Approximately 4m tall, the stone memorial comprises a Latin cross with a moulded foot, rising from a tapering octagonal shaft. The broach-stopped foot of the cross shaft stands on a chamfered octagonal plinth. That stands on a three-stepped base. The steps, of unequal heights, rise from an octagonal stone pavement. The lowest step has a narrow overhang, for the placement of floral tributes.

The inscriptions are carved into the faces of the plinth and the upper step. The principal dedication, on the front face of the plinth, reads IN MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF FETCHAM/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR KING & COUNTRY/ IN THE GREAT WARS/ 1914 – 1919/ 1939 – 1945. The First World War names are carved around the step; the Second World War names around the plinth.


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, 5 December 2016.

Sources

Websites
Leatherhead Local History website, accessed 21/12/2015 from http://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/fetcham-war-memorials/
War Memorials Register, accessed 05/12/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/23392
War Memorials Online, accessed 05/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/185114

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