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Child Okeford

This memorial consists of a four-stepped base surmounted by a square plinth, an octagonal shaft and a Dorset market cross, all constructed from Doulting stone. The memorial bears carved figures within the head piece of the market cross and close to the bottom of the shaft there is another carved figure. The memorial is located on the village green in the centre of Child Okeford, in the Stour valley of north Dorset. A dedication is inscribed in the stone around the top step and on the next step down are recorded the names of the men who fell in both World Wars.

The memorial has received multiple grants and the summary details of this record relate to the most recent grant.

In 2012 War Memorials Trust offered £2,500 towards the conservation of the war memorial. This included gentle cleaning of the memorial using non-metallic bristle brushes and water to remove moss from the surface of the stone. Following this, a lime wash was applied to the friable areas of stonework to provide additional protection then the loose and defective joints were raked out by hand and re-pointed using a lime mortar. The displaced stone steps were lifted and re-bedded using a lime mortar, and the cracked or dislodged sections of stone were tied back into the memorial using stainless steel dowels. One section of stone which was beyond repair was replaced with a pieced-in stone to match the memorial. The small metal plaque was coated in SmartWater as part of the InMemoriam2014 project. SmartWater is a crime prevention fluid which will make memorials uniquely identifiable and offer robust traceability of metal elements should a theft occur.

In 2002/3 English Heritage offered a grant of £900 towards work to remove moss growth, re-point any loose joints and repair the tops of the steps where they had cracked, using lime-based mason’s putty.

The dedication on the memorial reads:

"To the glory of God in mem
ory of men of Childe Okeford
& Hanford who served their
king and country in the Great War
1914-1918
1939-1945

Remembering especially before God those who gave their
lives whose names are inscribed below"

The war memorial was constructed in 1919 by and was designed by Charles Ponting. It was erected by Harry James and his son who lived in Child Okeford and was dedicated on 6th November 1919 by the bishop of Salisbury. The site chosen for the War Memorial was where a large block of green sandstone had stood, which may once have been a preaching stone.

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM969
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 26433

War Memorials Online: 97750

Heritage Gateway listing record: 103090

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

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