Showcase result

Waltham St Lawrence

Waltham St Lawrence war memorial stands on a grassed area at Paradise Corner, a road junction in the town. It is within the Waltham St Lawrence conservation area. The memorial is a Portland stone cross and marble slabs are attached to the steps of the memorial with lead lettering recording the names of the Fallen.

In 2008 the local council identified a need to repair the war memorial. Many of the names on the panels were damaged with the lead lettering having completely or partly vanished. The stone was also covered in organic growth which needed to be removed and the pointing required replacing. A grant of £2,230.00 was offered towards re-pointing, steam cleaning, repairs to a cracked marble panel and the repair or replacement of the lead lettering.

In 1914 the village population had been around 900, 220 men served their country and 29 fell during the First World War. In 1919, a memorial committee was elected by the Parish Council and £420 was subscribed by the community to pay for a war memorial. The memorial was constructed by Mr Murphy, a local craftsman from Winkfield for the sum of £130. The remaining funds were invested for the benefit and enhancement of the village.

The memorial was unveiled on 16th May 1920 by Ernest Gardiner, the local MP during a service led by The Rev G. H. Francis. The memorial was covered in a Union Jack which Mr Gardiner removed. As he did so he described the memorial as “a memorial for all time”. Events concluded with a Royal Berkshire Regiment buglar sounding the Last Post. Alongside recording the Fallen the names of the 191 other men who served were recorded and the list held in the local Church.

In 1921 the memorial was enclosed with a post and chain barrier and funds allocated by the Parish Council for the maintenance of the Memorial.

In 1946 it was decided to add the names of 11 men lost during World War II to panels on the memorial. A service on 9th November 1947 remembered those who fell during the conflict and villagers participated in a ‘Field of Crosses Remembrance’ by placing wooden crosses around the memorial. At this time the Parish Council created a two person sub-committee with responsibility to care for the war memorial and the site.

Today the village continues to hold a large Remembrance Service. Traffic is stopped and the names recorded are read aloud. The Waltham St Lawrence Silver Band participates in the service.

The memorial is inscribed:

In memory of our men who fell in the Great War 1914 – 1918.

The names of the fallen are shown on the other faces of the memorial. Of the 29 First World War casualties they ranged in age from 20 to 38 with the majority in their early 20’s. They served in a variety of Regiments with the Royal Berkshire Regiment the most strongly represented.

Harry Albert Aldridge
George Appleton
Jesse Baker
Edmund Landsdowne Beale
Horace Bendall
Joseph Harry Bolton
Walter Frank Bye
Ernest Clarke
Horace Clarke
Joseph Cooper
Dudley James Cox
Newton Worthington Dance
Eric Davidson
Charles William Gibbons
Thomas Joseph Gibbons
Mark Harris
George Hull
Frank Hull 
John Harvey Leckie
Wilfred John Slade
Alfred John Spiers
William Ernest Tarry
Albert Tegg
Alfred Harry Tidbury
Francis James Warren
Claude Middleton Warren
Frederick Neville Wells
Albert Whitfield
Frederick Thomas Wixon

Those lost in the Second World were older, many in their 30’s and 40’s. Both the army and navy are represented amongst the Fallen and three men are buried in the local cemetery. 

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM2323
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 7893

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

Return to search results | Start a new search