Dorchester War Memorial

First and Second World War memorial. Erected 1921 with the names of the Fallen of the Second World War added after 1945.

MATERIALS: Portland whitbed stone ashlar.

DESCRIPTION: the war memorial stands at the corner of South Street and South Walks, adjacent to a prominent junction on the site of the south gate of the Roman town. It takes the form of a cenotaph; a monument erected in honour of the Fallen of Dorchester, many of whose remains are elsewhere. The cenotaph is rectangular in plan, 4.5m high, 3.2m wide and 2.1m deep. At the top is a large ashlar course; probably a representation of a tomb chest, that stands on a shaft with a heavily moulded cornice and moulded base, which in-turn rests on two steps. Just above mid-height the shaft tapers to meet a roll moulding, which is broken on two sides by carved panels of a longsword within a laurel wreath, entwined by a ribbon marked 1914 and 1918. The lower stage of the shaft has plain recessed panels on each side containing narrow bronze plaques. The west panel has five plaques, the first of which is inscribed: TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE OF DORCHESTER WHO IN THE GREAT WAR/ GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR KING AND COUNTRY. Four plaques beneath it contain names of the Fallen. The east panel bears two plaques, the first is inscribed: THIS CENOTAPH/ WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION/ AND UNVEILED BY THE/ RIGHT HON. LORD ELLENBOROUGH, C.B. ON EMPIRE DAY 1921/ A.L.T. TILLEY, MAYOR 1920. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE., and the second is inscribed: THE MEMORIAL TABLETS ERECTED TO THOSE WHO GAVE/ THEIR LIVES IN THE WORLD WAR 1939-1945 WERE/ UNVEILED BY HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR OF DORCHESTER/ (COUNCILLOR HENRY G. LONGMAN, J.P.,) 1948 & 1949. On the south panel is the inscription: 1939-1945/ (NAMES) and on the north panel are three plaques, each inscribed as follows (top to bottom): 1939-1945/ (NAMES), SINCE 1945/ (NAMES) and 1914-1918/ (NAMES). The memorial contains 240 names of the Fallen of the First World War (including one nurse; Constance Hodges), 83 names of the Second World War and two names since 1945, all with service branch or regiment. It is enclosed by a chain link fence with eight ornamented metal posts.

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, 7 December 2016.