Smeeth War Memorial

Summary

War memorial, erected in 1919.

Reasons for Designation

Smeeth War Memorial, erected in 1919, 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:

* As a well-executed Celtic wheel cross design.

Group value:

* With the Church of St Mary the Virgin and other listed buildings and structures along Church Road.

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.

Smeeth War Memorial was erected in memory of the 22 local men who fell in the First World War (1914-18). The sculptor responsible for the design is recorded as being FJ Russell. Following the Second World War (1939-45) the names of five of the fallen from the conflict were added to the memorial, this being unveiled at a commemorative ceremony held in November 1947. The memorial is adjacent to the Church of St Mary the Virgin, a C11 parish church with C13 extensions, restored with a rebuilt west tower and vestry in 1881.

Details

Smeeth War Memorial, unveiled in 1919 and completed to the designs of the sculptor F J Russell.

MATERIALS: a granite stone monument with affixed bronze plaque.

PLAN: square plan-form.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is situated approximately 50m to the south-west of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, set on an elevated plot overlooking Church Road. The roughly-hewn granite monument stands approximately three metres in height and takes the form of a Celtic wheel cross head on a square tapered plinth, set upon a chamfered base. The plinth has an incised inscription on its frontal face which reads: ‘IN MEMORY AND IN HONOUR OF / (Names) / MEN OF SMEETH WHO DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918’. Set immediately in front of the memorial is a granite flower container. A bronze plaque, reading '1939-1945 / (names)', affixed to the cross shaft to commemorate the fallen of the Second World War was added in November 1947.


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, 31 January 2018.

Sources

Websites
Roll of Honour - Smeeth War Memorial, accessed 16 June 2017 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Kent/Smeeth.html
War Memorial: Smeeth, accessed 16 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1140
War Memorials Online, accessed 31 January 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/153576

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