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St James Church Kidbrooke - First World War Memorial
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The Memorial
In the south west corner of St James Church Kidbrooke is a dedicated First World War Memorial. The inscription reads " To the Glory of God and in proud and loving memory of the brave sons of this parish and congregation who gave their lives for King and country in the Great War August 1914 to June 1919". On the memorial is recorded the names of 26 men. What is the story of the memorial itself? On the 30th January 1919 the Lay Council of St James Church discussed the form of a war memorial to the fallen sons of the parish in the First World War 1914-18. On June 23rd 1919 a tablet containing 26 names was approved and subsequently a design by J Wippell and Co Ltd was commissioned on April 18 1920. The completed tablet was agreed on January 10 1922, and was to be located in the south aisle. It was relocated to a dedicated memorial chapel in the south west corner of the Church after the post Second World War restoration following damage inflicted by a V2 rocket in Spring 1945.
In April 2015 the memorial was relocated again. The ceremony to mark this relocation was undertaken with community partners including the Year 10 history students of Thomas Tallis School on Sunday 26th April 2015. The students were keen to research the names and stories behind the memorial in order to remember "the sons of the parish who gave their lives in the Great War". This webpage displays the results of their research. What then are the stories of the men that the memorial conceals? |