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Thame

The Grade II listed war memorial in the market town of Thame, Oxfordshire, is a Portland stone wheel cross with a laurel wreath carved in relief on the centre of the cross. There are bands of decoration on the shaft of the cross, which stands on a square block, on a plinth. The structure is situated at the top of three concrete steps and around the bottom step are six short posts. Inscribed bronze plaques are mounted on the front and rear faces of the block and the plinth. The memorial stands in the memorial gardens on Upper High Street.

The monument was sound, but due to age there was build up of chemical deposits from the bronze plaques, mould growth and some cracking of the steps due to frost damage. In 2005/6 English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation offered a grant of £2,000 towards work to clean the plaques, repatinate them and coat them with protective wax. The stonework was cleaned and poulticed to remove copper staining, and re-pointed, a step was rendered and the posts fitted with new non-ferrous dowels.

The three plaques immediately below the base of the cross commemorate the fallen of World War II. The centre panel is inscribed simply with the dates of the conflict, the two outer panels showing lists of names.

The World War I dedication panel reads:

"To the glory of God
In ever grateful and proud memory of the men
from this parish who gave their lives for
king and country in the Great War 1914-1919
Their names liveth for evermore"

The large bronze panel on the front of the plinth has the dates of World War I at the top, separated by a laurel wreath, and records the names of the fallen in columns below. There is a further bronze plaque below with additional names.

On the rear of the monument is another plaque commemorating the unveiling of the memorial.

"This memorial
was unveiled by the
Right Honourable
David Lloyd George
Prime Minister of England
30th July 1921"

On the right and left faces of the plinth are recorded the names of battles and campaigns of world wars as well as other nineteenth and twentieth century conflicts in raised lead lettering.

Mr James T Robinson, architect and surveyor, prepared the plans for the memorial and superintended the project. The physical preparation was undertaken by Mr R G Holland and the monument was the work of Mr Harris. The memorial was unveiled by the Prime Minister David Llloyd George.

After the 2005 renovation work was completed the bishop of Oxford attended the Remembrance Day service to re-dedicate the memorial. The service was also attended by a former mayor of Thame who had served in World War II as the driver of Brigadier Llewellyn Glyn-Hughes, the first officer to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Other attendees at the ceremony included a former member of the Royal Artillery who was imprisoned in Changi Jail in Singapore for three and a half years of the Second World War, and a lady who as a three year old had been at the original unveiling of the memorial by David Lloyd George. Many members of the public attended, as did local Cubs and Brownies.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM1183
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 31715

Heritage Gateway listing record: 492061

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

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