Summary

A First World War memorial with later additions for the Second World War.

Description

MATERIALS: Cornish granite, York stone, lead.

DESCRIPTION: Fawkham War Memorial is located on the village green overlooking Valley Road.

It consists of a rough-hewn Cornish granite Latin cross rising from a tapering plinth set on a York stone square base. The inscriptions are in raised lead lettering.

The east face of the plinth is inset and bears the inscription: THIS CROSS/ IS PLACED HERE IN ORDER/ THAT WE MAY NEVER FORGET/ (7 NAMES)/ OF THIS PARISH, WHO DIED/ FOR OUR COUNTRY 1914 – 18. An inset square panel has been carved on the same face at the base of the cross; this bears the inscription: 1939 – 45/ (1 NAME).

The memorial is surrounded by a floral border enclosed within concrete post and chain fencing.

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. One such memorial was raised at Fawkham Green as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by seven members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Following the Second World War the name of one fallen from that conflict was added to the memorial. The matter of this addition was discussed at the Fawkham Parish Meeting in January 1946, and the majority of the cost was met by subscriptions raised from villagers, with the balance met by the Councillors. A historic photograph shows the memorial enclosed by a wooden post and rail fence but this has since been replaced with a post and chain fence. In 2008 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant aid administered by War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Fawkham 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 this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* in using the familiar motif of a Latin cross to offer quiet testament to the fallen.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q97457581

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)