West Dean War Memorial

The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary (Grade II-listed). Of Cornish granite, it comprises a plain Celtic cross set on a tapering shaft. That stands on a tapering rectangular plinth raised on a low, square, base. A reclining stone plaque is set in front of the plinth.

The front face of the plinth bears an inscription that reads IN MEMORY OF/ THE HEROES OF THIS VILLAGE/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (4 NAMES)/ “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS”.

In addition, the plaque in front of the memorial bears an inscription that reads ALSO THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939 – 1945/ (5 NAMES). All inscriptions are incised and painted black.

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, 25 July 2017.