Knowlton War Memorial

Summary

A First World War Memorial to the men of Knowlton, designed by Sir George Frampton in 1915 and erected in Knowlton in 1919.

Reasons for Designation

Knowlton War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a handsome and well-crafted memorial designed by the prolific and prominent sculptor Sir George Frampton, with detailed carvings and relief portraits.

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent commemoration of the service of the men who lived and worked at Knowlton Court and their contribution to the national war effort;
* as the ‘Bravest Village Cross’, a memorial prize awarded by the Weekly Dispatch newspaper to Knowlton as the village with the largest proportion of men enlisted in the country. Its commission in February 1915 makes it one of the earliest memorial First World War designs.

Group value:

* for its historic relationship with the Grade I-listed Knowlton Court and nine associated listed buildings, with the memorial commemorating men who lived and worked on the nearby estate.

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. One such memorial was raised at Knowlton as a permanent testament to the men of the village who served, rather than to commemorate those lost; the village being one of a small number not to suffer any fatalities in the war.

In 1914, the Weekly Dispatch newspaper held a competition to find the ‘bravest village’ in Britain. At this time, compulsory service had not yet been introduced and the army was reliant on voluntary enlistment. Lord Northcliffe, the owner of the Dispatch, decided to host a national competition in an attempt to generate patriotic rivalry and encourage more men to enlist in the war effort. The village with the largest proportion of its men enlisted by 28 February 1915 would be named the winner. The prize for this village was a memorial made of Aberdeen granite designed by the celebrated British sculptor Sir George Frampton (1860-1928). Frampton was a leading figure in the New Sculpture movement, best known for his Peter Pan statue, listed at Grade II* (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1217595), and the Edith Cavell Memorial, listed at Grade I (NHLE entry 1264768).

The Weekly Dispatch received applications from over 400 villages. With 12 parish members enlisted from a population of 39, Knowlton was named the winner. The memorial records the names of 13 men, however, as it includes Reverend Sidney Sargent, a vicar from the local village of Nonnington. The memorial also commemorates Major Elmer Speed, owner of Knowlton Court, and his two sons, John and Douglas, all of whom resided at Knowlton. The other men recorded on the memorial were staff who worked at Knowlton Court though lived in neighbouring villages, and their inclusion in the competition caused some controversy at the time. The second prize went to the village of Mennock, and the third to the Orkney Islands. The Knowlton memorial was designed in 1915, making it one of the earliest First World Memorial designs in Britain. The memorial was officially unveiled on 1 September 1919.

Knowlton is known as a ‘Thankful Village’, a term used to describe villages where all those who left for the war returned home alive. There were 53 of these villages in Britain that suffered no casualties during the First World War. The term was first coined by the British author Arthur Mee in 1936 in his book ‘The King’s England’, a guide to the counties of England. Thus, the memorial is unusual in its commemoration not of the deaths of these men, but of their brave service in the First World War.

Details

A First World War Memorial designed in 1915 and erected in Knowlton in 1919.

MATERIALS: Aberdeen granite.

DESCRIPTION: a carved memorial in the style of a medieval lantern cross. The tapered shaft of the cross is capped with an orb and crown, beneath which are carvings of the winged figure of Victory, a soldier, a nurse, and a casualty. The cross stands on a square plinth with steps. The front (north-west) face of the plinth is embellished with a wreath within which are relief-carved portraits of King George V and Queen Mary.

The north-east face of the plinth bears the following inscription: ‘ONE CROWDED HOUR OF GLORIOUS LIFE IS WORTH AN AGE WITHOUT A NAME/ THIS CROSS WAS ERECTED IN HONOUR OF THOSE TWELVE MEN OF KNOWLTON WHO OUT OF A TOTAL/ POPULATION OF 39 ENLISTED PRIOR TO MARCH 1915 AND BY THEIR PATRIOTIC ACTION WON/ THE WEEKLY DISPATCH “BRAVEST VILLAGE" COMPETITION’. Above this, at the base of the shaft, there is an inscription that reads: ‘G. FRAMPTON/ 1915’

The south-west face of the plinth bears the following inscription: ‘THOSE WHO SERVED WITH HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919’. Following this are the names of 13 men who served in the First World War.

Sources

Books and journals
Newman, J, The Buildings of England, Kent: North East and East, (2013), 91, 423

Websites
An introduction to 'thankful villages', accessed 20 January 2023 from https://heritagecalling.com/2018/11/11/an-introduction-to-thankful-villages/
Information on Knowlton War Memorial from the IWM War Memorial Register, accessed 22 January 2023 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/1143
War Memorials Online, accessed 22/05/2023 from www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/161152

Other
Evening Mail, “Memorial Unveiled at Knowlton, Kent,” 8 September 1919, p8
The Dover Express and East Kent News, ‘Knowlton's War Record’, 31 March 1916, p8

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