Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with additions for later conflicts.

Description

The memorial stands in the churchyard of the church of St James the Less (Grade II*), near the back gate. Approximately 5m tall and built of granite, it comprises a plain Latin cross on a tapering square shaft. The shaft rises from a small pedestal which stands on a tapering plinth. The plinth stands on a two-stepped, octagonal, base.

The front face of the pedestal is inscribed TO OUR / GLORIOUS DEAD / +/ with the names, regiment or ship and date of death of those who fell in the First World War listed on the plinth below. On the uppermost step of the base an inscription reads KINGSTON’S MEMORIAL/ TO HER SONS WHO FELL IN THE/ GREAT WAR 1914-1918./ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN/ THAN THIS. On the rear of the plinth an inscription reads SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945/ (7 NAMES)/ 1956 MALAYA/ (1 NAME). All inscriptions are in applied metal lettering, painted black.

The memorial is surrounded by a small, square, stone kerbed enclosure that is surfaced with gravel.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 8 December 2016.

History

Kingston War Memorial, commemorating the nine men from the village who died out of the 59 that served during the First World War, was unveiled on 20 November 1921 by Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly. The names of the villagers who died serving during the Second World War, and of one man who served in the Malaya Campaign, were added in 1995, when the memorial was re-dedicated. The lettering was restored in 2014, funded by War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Kingston War Memorial, situated in the churchyard of the church of St James the Less, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Group value: with the Grade II*-listed church of St James the Less.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26677447

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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