From the National Heritage List for England:



Summary

War Memorial formed of limestone. It consists of a large square platform with four steps and a plinth surmounted by a cenotaph in the form of a pylon with a gabled cornice and Celtic wheel cross.




Reasons for Designation

The Men of Pembury War Memorial which stands adjacent to the main road through Pembury and near to the village green and church, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as an elegantly-proportioned memorial.




History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. The war memorial to the men of Pembury was erected near to the village green and church. It was unveiled and dedicated on 25 September 1921 by Reverend H Sinclair Brooke. The memorial was designed by architect Ashley S Kilby Esq.

It commemorates 49 local servicemen who died during the First World War. In 1949 a dedication was added to commemorate the 18 local servicemen who died during the Second World War.

In 2014 a grey granite plaque was placed in front of the memorial in relation to the centenary of the First World War. It has an engraved wreath and poppies at the centre and reads on the left hand side HONOURING/ THE MEN OF/ PEMBURY and on the right 1914 – 1918/ WITH PRIDE/ 2014.

The present two limestone plaques on the north front, facing the road, are replacements which were unveiled on 11 November 2018 with eight spelling corrections. The original brass plaques are to be installed outside Pembury School. (1)

<1> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.