Summary
A First World War memorial by mason E C Green, unveiled on Sunday 20 March 1921, and with later additions.
Description
A war memorial of 1921 by E C Green.
MATERIALS: constructed of Portland stone.
DESCRIPTION: comprising a cross on a tapering octagonal shaft on an octagonal pedestal and a two-stepped octagonal base. The arms of the cross are decorated with relief-carved roses. The inscription was replaced in the late 1990s when new stones were attached to the plinth.
The main inscription on the south face of the pedestal reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF KEDINGTON/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THE HONOUR AND/ SAFETY OF THEIR COUNTRY/ IN TWO WORLD WARS/ 1914 – 1919/ 1939 – 1945. The names of the fallen are listed on the plinth faces: west (8 NAMES), south-west (8 NAMES) and south-east (2 First World War NAMES; 4 Second World War NAMES). On the east face a further inscription reads: TRANQUIL YOU LIE YOUR/KNIGHTLY VIRTUE PROVED,/ YOUR MEMORY HALLOWED IN/ THE LAND YOU LOVED.
The memorial stands within a square kerbed and paved enclosure surrounded by eight low stone pillars.
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. One such memorial was raised at Kedington as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. It was the work of mason Edward Coote (E C) Green, whose 18-year-old son William Frank Green was killed in action in France in 1918 and memorialised on another of his father’s memorials, at Haverhill (Grade II). The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 20 March 1921 by Brigadier-General J A Coxhead CB and dedicated by Reverend Canon G Perry. It stands in a prominent position in the churchyard, to the south of the Church of St Peter and St Paul (Grade I).
The names of those parishioners who fell during the Second World War were subsequently added to the memorial. The inscription around the plinth was replaced in the late 1990s.
Reasons for Listing
Kedington War Memorial is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* 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:
* it is a well-detailed war memorial in the form of a Portland stone cross.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Peter and St Paul (Grade I).
External Links
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Recommended Books
Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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