Reculver War Memorial

CANTERBURY

856/0/10015 RECULVER LANE 09-OCT-09 Reculver RECULVER WAR MEMORIAL

II War memorial. Erected 1919. Designer unknown.

DESCRIPTION: Located on the edge of St Mary the Virgin churchyard, next to the road between Hillborough and Reculver approximately 30m from the west end of the church. It is in the form of a tall (approximately 3m including plinth) stone of remembrance of rough-hewn granite set on a similarly rough-hewn rectangular granite plinth facing north-west across the road. On the graveyard side it is surrounded by a low semi-circular rustic stone wall. The tablet has a carved Latin cross directly below its slightly curved top and beneath this the inscription is placed on a large incised rectangular panel, again with a curved top. The inscription reads: THIS STONE / WAS ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF / RECULVER IN MEMORY OF THE MEN / CONNECTED WITH THIS PARISH / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 // GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE / FOR HIS FRIENDS. The names of the 18 Fallen in World War I are inscribed below divided between the navy and the army with surname, year of death and ship or regiment. Below, on the plinth beneath the inscription 1939 -1945 and again divided by service (Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Royal Air Force, Airborne Division) are the surnames and year of death of the 9 Fallen from World War II. The inscriptions were renewed in 1994.

HISTORY: The memorial was erected in 1919. As was often the case, the names of those killed in World War II were later added to the names from World War I. The inscriptions were renewed in 1994.

SOURCES: United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The Reculver War Memorial is designated for the following principal reasons:

• It is of special interest as an eloquent witness to the impact of tragic world events on this community in both World Wars;
• It has group value with the listed Church of Saint Mary The Virgin.
• This stone of remembrance has a robust simplicity heightened by its prominent location on the edge of the churchyard, looking out across fields towards the sea.

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