Gillingham War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial by FW Doyle-Jones, 1924, with later additions.

Reasons for Designation

Gillingham War Memorial, which stands at the junction of Brompton Road and Mill Road, 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: an elegant memorial by noted sculptor FW Doyle-Jones.

History

The war memorial in Gillingham was unveiled on 20 July 1924 by Alderman WH Griffin JP and was dedicated by Right Reverend Harmer, the Bishop of Rochester. It was erected to commemorate those residents of Gillingham who lost their lives in the First World War. Later inscriptions were added to commemorate Second World War and Korean War losses. It originally stood on a roundabout at the junction of High Street, Mill Road, Brompton Road and Marlborough Road but was later moved c20m across the road to Medway Park. This roundabout included a contemporary arrangement of lamp standards and an encircling chain carried on low posts: these features were not retained.

The memorial was designed by Francis W Doyle-Jones (1873-1938), an architect and sculptor originally from Hartlepool. He worked first for his father, before studying in Paris and London and concentrated on portraiture. He designed a number of Boer War memorials including those at Middlesbrough (Grade II), Gateshead (Grade II) and Penrith. His numerous First World War memorials include those in Gravesend, Sutton Coldfield (Grade II), and the ‘Men of Elland’ memorial in West Yorkshire (Grade II).

Details

DESCRIPTION: The memorial is a tall four-sided stone pylon with stepped detailing to the top, standing on a two-stage, square, pedestal. That stands on a two-stepped, square, base. The memorial stands in a square paved area surrounded by a chain carried on low bollards.

The front and rear faces of the pylon bear shallow cross forms. The front face of the cenotaph is decorated at the top with a carved roundel, inside which is carved in low relief the figure of Christ crucified, holding a torch in each hand, and being supported on either side by two female figures. Below this is the inscription TO THE/ GLORIOUS MEMORY/ OF THOSE/ OF THIS BOROUGH/ WHO LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES FOR/ KING & COUNTRY/ IN THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ AND/ WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945/ KOREAN WAR/ 1950-1953.

At the top of the rear face of the memorial, a similar roundel contains a laurel wreath carved in relief within which is the inscription 1914/ 1919. Below this is the inscription AT THE GOING DOWN/ OF THE SUN & IN THE/ MORNING WE WILL/ REMEMBER THEM. A small rectangular stone vase on the base of the memorial bears the inscription THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION/ WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Two inscribed stones erected in 2013 stand either side of the memorial to the north side. These are excluded from this listing.


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 5 January 2016.

Sources

Websites
The Kent History Forum, accessed 29/01/2016 from http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=16212.0
War Memorials Register, accessed 29/01/2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/30621
University of Glasgow, Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, accessed 26/01/2016 from http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib2_1204843722&search=Doyle
War Memorials Online, accessed 01/12/2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/93685

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