War Memorial to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry)
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1469583
- Date first listed:
- 22-Apr-2020
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry)
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1469583
- Date first listed:
- 22-Apr-2020
- List Entry Name:
- War Memorial to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry)
- Location Description:
- Cheriton Road Cemetery, Folkestone CT19 5JX
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Kent
- District:
- Folkestone and Hythe (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Folkestone
- National Grid Reference:
- TR2135536485
Summary
First World War memorial. Dedicated in February 1921. Relocated, probably in the late-C20. The designer is not currently known.
Reasons for Designation
The war memorial to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry), Cheriton Road Cemetery, Folkestone, dedicated in 1921 and moved to its current location in the late C20, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the fallen from this particular unit and, more generally, the important role that the machine gun played in the First World War and its subsequent prominence in the popular memory of the conflict.
Architectural interest:
* as a well-executed example of one of the common forms of First World War memorial.
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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also 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.
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front. The cavalry branch consisted of 26 Machine Gun Squadrons, one per cavalry brigade with the squadrons constituted in February 1916. A depot for the MGC (Cavalry) was formed at Maresfield, East Sussex.
The memorial to the MGC (Cavalry) at Folkestone was originally located at the junction of Cherry Garden Avenue and Cheriton Road and was unveiled on 19 February 1921 by Major-General Sir F H Sykes. A souvenir programme was produced for the unveiling which listed the names, rank and unit of the 497 dead. The memorial was moved to its present location at some point after 1970.
Details
First World War memorial. Dedicated in February 1921. Relocated, probably in the late C20. The designer is not currently known.
MATERIALS: Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located just inside the main gates of Cheriton Road Cemetery. It takes the form of a cenotaph with a shroud draped on top. Below the shroud on the front face of the memorial is the Machine Gun Corps crest in bronze. Below this the dedication reads: TO/ THE GLORY OF GOD/ & IN MEMORY OF/ THE/ 39 OFFICERS AND 458/ WARRANT OFFICERS, NON/ COMMISSIONED OFFICERS &/ MEN OF THE/ MACHINE GUN CORPS/ (CAVALRY)/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ ‘THE SUPREME SACRIFICE’.
Sources
Websites
The Machine Gun Corps, WWI, accessed 20 February 2020 from http://www.stepshort.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/MCG-Memorial.pdf
Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register - 16086 - Machine Gun Corps - WWI, accessed 20 February 2020 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16086
Roll of Honour - Kent - Folkstone, Machine Gun Corps (MGC - Cavalry) War Memorial, accessed 20 February 2020 from http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Kent/FolkestoneMGC.html
War Memorials Online - 107828 - Folkestone (Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) Cenotaph), accessed 20 February 2020 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/107828
The Long, Long, Trail - Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) Squadrons, accessed 20 February 2020 from https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/machine-gun-corps-in-the-first-world-war/machine-gun-corps-cavalry-squadrons/
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 23:41:39.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.