Chesham Bois War Memorial

The Chesham Bois War Memorial is a First World War memorial built in 1920, with additional inscriptions added after the Second World War. It was designed by local architect John Harold Kennard, with stone carving by Mr. Arrowsmith from Stockwell, London, metal founding by Wilmer and Co from St Mary Axe, London, and constructed by WT Robinson of Chesham.

The memorial is made of Portland stone and features an oval plinth with recessed panels, a moulded base, and a cornice, all set upon a circular paved area. Atop the plinth is a triangular-plan pillar with chamfered, panelled corners and scroll mouldings at the base. The pillar is capped with a cornice and a heavy scrolled pediment adorned with bead, spindle, and foliage mouldings. The slightly concave face of the pillar bears the inscription ‘ERECTED / TO THE MEMORY / OF THOSE OF THIS / PARISH WHO FELL / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914-1918’, along with the names of 31 men listed by rank. The base includes the inscription ‘TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE OF THIS PARISH / WHO FELL IN THE WORLD WAR 1939-1945’, with the dates enclosed within a moulded laurel wreath in the central panel. The side panels display the names of 19 local individuals who lost their lives in the Second World War.