Kemsing War Memorial

The memorial comprises a stone Latin cross with moulded capital ends set on a tall, slim octagonal shaft, rising from a two-stepped octagonal plinth. This stands on a semi-circular brick wall, from which extend two flanking walls. The semi-circular wall encloses a circular paved area in front of the memorial, and three steps lead down from this. There are metal plaques on the brick wall under the memorial, on either side of the memorial on the curved wall, and on the pillars at the junction between the curved wall and the straight flanking walls.

The plaque directly beneath the plinth bears an inscription that reads IN MEMORY OF THE/ MEN AND WOMEN OF KEMSING/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WARS/ 1914 – 1918/ 1939 – 1945/ THAT WE MIGHT LIVE. A larger plaque to the left reads REMEMBER THOSE WHO DIED, followed by the names of those who fell in the First World War, and LORD GOD OF HOSTS BE WITH US YET,/ LEST WE FORGET, LEST WE FORGET. Smaller plaques on the left pillar read FROM WAR/ AND THE SIN/ OF FORGET-/ FULNESS/ GOOD LORD/ DELIVER US/ 1914 – 1918 and FROM THIS/ PARISH 144/ MEN WENT/ FORTH TO/ BEAR ARMS/ 1914 – 1918.

Another plaque to the right lists those who fell in the Second World War. In addition, plaques on the right pillar read FROM/ THIS PARISH/ 300 MEN AND/ WOMEN JOINED/ HIS MAJESTY’S/ FORCES / 1939 – 1945 and IS IT/ NOTHING TO/ YOU, ALL YE/ THAT PASS/ BY/ 1939-1945.

The memorial stands in a small garden in which, to the west, is the medieval St Edith's Well.

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.