Eltham War Memorial

MATERIALS: Portland stone, brick, granite, bronze.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial stands in front of the tower door of the Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II-listed), overlooking Eltham High Street. It inhabits the former southern entrance to the church from the street, with coped brick walling and a Portland stone screen extending the southern part of the Grade II-listed churchyard wall.

The memorial is a version of the Commonwealth (formerly Imperial) War Graves Commission Cross of Sacrifice by Sir Reginald Blomfield, bearing a bronze reversed sword on the front face of the cross. The cross’s plinth, octagonal in plan, stands on the top of a brick and Portland stone screen wall that is set on a granite course on the pavement at the roadside. The central section of the wall is formed of the front three sides of the large octagonal base from which the plinth rises: whilst to either side the front faces of the screen wall include panels on which dedications and names are inscribed.

Reading from the western section of the screen wall, across the base, and onto the eastern section of the screen wall, the principal dedicatory inscription reads TO THE HONOUR OF/ THE MEN OF/ ELTHAM/ WHO FELL IN/ THE GREAT WARS. On the front face of the base the dates 1914 1918/ 1939 1945 are carved above and below a bronze wreath. On the rear of the screen wall, reading from the eastern section, across the five rear faces of the octagonal base, and to the western section, a further inscription reads THINE O LORD/ IS THE GREATNESS/ AND THE POWER/ AND THE GLORY/ AND THE VICTORY.

The panels on the western and eastern sections of the screen wall record a total of 276 names, listed in columns under the dates 1914 - 1918. A bronze Tudor Rose stud decorates each of the four corners of the two panels, alluding to Eltham’s Tudor connections: Henry VIII spent much of his childhood at Eltham Palace.