Royal East Kent Yeomanry War Memorial And Associated Horse Trough

856/0/10012 HIGH STREET 15-JUN-06 Royal East Kent Yeomanry War Memorial and associated Horse Trough

II War memorial and associated horse trough. Dedicated in 1922. Designed by Bradley Dyne.

DESCRIPTION: Portland stone column decorated with wreathed medallions on two sides bearing the regimental insignia and motto, surmounted by a coronet; below the wreaths are single broken spurs. The column is topped by an urn, and stands on a plinth on all four sides of which are stone plaques bearing inscriptions. That facing the road reads 'TO THE MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE ROYAL EAST KENT YEOMANRY', beneath which has been added 'AND KENT YEOMANRY'. At the back are simply the words 'SOUTH AFRICA 1900-1901'. Of the remaining two, one lists the campaigns in which the regiment took part in the Great War, and the other reads 'ROYAL EAST KENT YEOMANRY RAISED 1794 DISBANDED 1921'. The whole is set on a two tier square stone base.

Horse trough of granite with moulded top, an inscription, and set on feet and on a plinth.

HISTORY: The memorial was unveiled on the 15th Oct 1922, a year after the regiment was disbanded. It was dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. An associated horse trough commemorates the horses of the regiment.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: War memorials qualify for listing because of their strong historical and cultural significance in both a local and a national context. This attractive example, set in a prominent position in the High Street and commemorating a recently disbanded local regiment, fully meets the criteria for listing. The adjacent horse trough commemmorating horses of the regiment is also of special interes, and a rare memorial to animals killed in 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, 30 November 2016