Charlton Village War Memorial

The memorial stands on a triangular island in the junction of three roads close to the Church of St Luke (Grade II*) and the churchyard walls, gate piers and gate (Grade II). It is set on a paved brick-edged platform with a flower bed to one side and pedestrian pavement on the other two sides. The base of the memorial is surrounded by an octagonal brick pavement. On the west side a drinking trough is used as a planter; the 1902 drinking fountain stands to the south.

The 6.1m tall memorial is in the style of the Commonwealth War Graves Cross of Sacrifice designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield. The main differences are in the treatment of the cross shaft foot, the plinth and the base. The cross bears a bronze sword of sacrifice on the front face of the octagonal shaft. The octagonal plinth stands on a two-stepped, octagonal, base.

Around the plinth are seven stone tablets inscribed with names and, to the front face, a bronze plaque with cast raised lettering. This plaque carries the principal dedicatory inscription TO THE/ GLORIOUS MEMORY/ OF THE/ MEN OF CHARLTON/ WHO IN THE GREAT WARS/ 1914 AND 1939/ GAVE THEIR LIVES/ THAT WE MIGHT LIVE/ THEIR NAMES/ ARE RECORDED IN THE/ BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE/ IN/ ST LUKE’S CHURCH. Two horizontal inscribed stone tablets on the step below the plinth record the names of three servicemen who died during the Second World War.

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, 10 February 2017.