Summary

First World War memorial with later additional Second World War inscriptions. Architect Mr Francis W Doyle Jones. Memorial in the form of a tall cenotaph, unveiled in 1921.

Description

First World War memorial with later additional Second World War inscriptions. Architect Mr Francis W Doyle Jones. Unveiled 1921.

MATERIALS: Portland stone

DESCRIPTION: tall cenotaph, the upper section of the front face bearing a sword and laurel wreath relief; below this is the inscription: 'OUR / GLORIOUS / DEAD'. The rest of the face, and the other three sides of the cenotaph, are inscribed with the names of the fallen arranged by year. The lower back face includes the inscription: 'LIVE YE FOR ENGLAND / WE FOR ENGLAND DIED'.

The cenotaph rests on a plinth, the front face states: '1939-1945 / AND TO RECORD THE GRATITUDE OF THEIR / FELLOW TOWNSMEN TO THOSE FROM TEDDINGTON / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM AND SAFETY / WHETHER IN THE FIGHTING SERVICES / OR ON THE HOME FRONT / WE WILL REMEMBER THEM'. This rests on a two-step platform.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 5 June 2017.

History

The aftermath of the World Wars saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across the country. 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.

One such memorial was raised in Teddington, as a permanent testament to the sacrifices made by the members of the local community.

The memorial was designed by the architect Francis W Doyle Jones. It was unveiled 8 January 1921, shortly before the opening of the adjacent Teddington Memorial Hospital, of which the memorial is located at the front. The hospital was also created as a memorial to lives lost in the First World War. An additional inscription was added to the cenotaph after the Second World War.

Reasons for Listing

Teddington war memorial 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 sacrifices they made in the conflicts of the C20;

* Design: as an attractive and imposing cenotaph war memorial.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478655

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version