West Malling War Memorial

War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary, designed by W K McDermott ARIBA, built by J A Davison and unveiled in 1921, approached from steps at the W side of the High Street.

MATERIALS: rock-faced and ashlar Kentish ragstone with a stone cross.

DESCRIPTION: the base has two piers in rock-faced Kentish ragstone with flat coping. Between the piers is an ashlar panel, shouldered at the top with moulded coping stones, at the centre of which is a pointed-arch recess containing a metal plaque listing the names of the men from West Malling that fought and died during the Great War 1914-1918. On the canted apron beneath is a supplementary plaque giving the names of the fallen from the Second World War. The inscription reads: THE / NAMES OF / WEST MALLING / MEN WHO GAVE THEIR / LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918 ARE HERE RECORDED / THEY DIED FOR RIGHT AND FREEDOM / MAY THEY REST IN PEACE GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN / THIS THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE / FOR HIS FRIENDS - 48 NAMES. AND OF THE FOLLOWING WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE 1939 – WAR - 26 NAMES.

The base is surmounted by a tall, plain stone cross.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 21 March 2017.