Lyminge War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Lyminge War Memorial, situated in the churchyard of St Mary and St Ethelburga Church, 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:

* as a well-proportioned cross pattée in granite.

Group value:

* it has group value with the Grade-I listed Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga, as well as two other Grade-II listed monuments situated within the churchyard, and the Grade-II listed Old Rectory.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw an unprecedented wave of public commemoration with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country, 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 memorial was raised at Lyminge, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lose their lives in the First World War.

By the end of 1920, £195 13s 6d had been raised by public subscription to fund the memorial’s construction. The memorial was designed by Rhodes Minnis resident Mr F Wheeler and constructed by masons Fenning and Co of Hammersmith, London. Estimated at a cost of £300, the owner of Lyminge Mill, Mr Fisher, helped to cover the shortfall by carting the monument from the railway to the churchyard and supplying sand, cement and clinker.

Lyminge War Memorial was unveiled in the churchyard on the 25 September 1921 by Colonel C H Wayland, to commemorate the lives of the 28 men from the village who died in the First World War. There were said to be between five and six hundred people present at the dedication ceremony, including ex-servicemen and Sunday school children.

In 1939, the original concrete base was replaced with granite to stabilise the memorial. At this time, the inscriptions were recut and painted.

In 1947, 13 further names were added to the memorial to commemorate those who lost their lives during the Second World War.

The memorial was cleaned in 2013 using Parish Council funds.

Details

Lyminge War Memorial is located in the churchyard to the south-west of the Church of St Mary and St Ethelburga (Grade I).

DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a roughly-hewn Cornish granite cross pattée on a tapering square chamfered plinth surmounting three granite octagonal steps. The lettering is incised and painted black.

The dedication on the plinth reads: TO THE GLORIOUS AND HONOURED/ MEMORY OF THE MEN OF LYMINGE/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR./ 1914-1918/
"GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS THAT”/”A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS."

The inscription to the casualties of the Second World War is underneath, on the third step of the base: ALSO OF THOSE WHO FELL/ IN THE WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945/

The remaining three faces of the plinth are inscribed with the names of the First World War and the names of those who served during the Second World War were added on the steps.

Sources

Books and journals
Lyminge Historical Society, , Lyminge A History Vol. 5 - Lyminge Men Remembered. The History of the Lyminge War Memorial, (2014), pp 7 - 9

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 15 November 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16108
War Memorials Online, accessed 17 May 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/149717/
Cleverley and Spencer, accessed 15 November 2016 from http://www.clevspen.co.uk/memorials/cleaning/
British Newspaper Archive - Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday 30 September, 1921, p.13, accessed 17 May 2017 from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000330/19210930/078/0013

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