Memorial details

Memorial type
Pillar / Column
District
Bromley
Town
Beckenham
County
Greater London
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945), Second World War - civilians
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 24th July 1921
    Attended by: Sergeant B Hanscombe DCM MM
  • Dedicated
    Date: 21st May 1950
    Attended by: Mayor's Chaplain the Rev G T Brett
  • Unveiled
    Date: 21st May 1950
    Attended by: Councillor T W Mallett
  • Show More (2)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
3842

Support IWM

Donate with Just Giving

Any gift we receive makes a vital contribution to our ongoing work, from conserving our collection to supporting our public programme.

Make a Donation
Current location

On the roundabout.
War Memorial
High Street
Beckenham
Bromley
Greater London
BR3 1BN
England

OS Grid Ref: TQ 36976 69380
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
A two-stepped base surmounted by column and infilled Celtic cross. There are bas-relief carvings on each side of the cross of St George killing the Dragon at the top of the front face of the top of the column. There is also a carving of the phoenix rising from the ashes on the rear face of the top of the column. The dedication is written in bronze lettering at the top of the front face of the cross. The names on plaques are placed on the sides of the base of the column.
Inscription
6 o'clock face: IN GRATEFUL MEMORY/ OF/ THE MEN AND WOMEN OF/ BECKENHAM/ WHO FELL IN THE TWO/ WORLD WARS/ 1914 - 1918/ 1939-1945/ (Names)/ ALSO REMEMBERED/ WITH GRATEFUL APPRECIATION/ THOSE WHO, SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR,/ HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN CONFLICTS/ AND PEACE-KEEPING MISSIONS/ THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 3 o'clock face: WAR OF 1914-1918/ (Names) 12 o'clock face: HE DIED THE NOBLEST DEATH/ A MAN MAY DIE/ FIGHTING FOR GOD AND/ RIGHT AND LIBERTY/ AND SUCH A DEATH IS/ IMMORTALITY/ WAR OF 1939-1945/ H.M. FORCES/ (Names)/ H.M. FORCES/ (Names)/ CIVIL DEFENCE/ (Names)/ AUXILIARY FIRE SERVICE/ (Names)/ CIVILIANS/ (Names)/ ADDENDUM/ THE NAME IMMS N. (M.M.) SHOULD READ/ INNS N (M.M.) 9 o'clock face: WAR OF 1939-1945/ CIVILIANS (CONT)/ (Names)
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Abbott, F Mc
Abbott, J G
Abel, J E
Aburrow, W
Adams, J B P
Adams, P L
Adcock, J B
Aerts, F R
Aerts, N A
Aitchison, D J
See details for all 707 names
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 707
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 707
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, decorations.
    Order of information: Alphabetically by surname.
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 300
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 300
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, decorations.
    Order of information: Alphabetically by surname.
  • Second World War - civilians
    Total names on memorial: 330
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 330
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, additional.
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Column
    Measurements: height c7500mm
    Materials: Stone - Portland
  • Plaques
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Brass
Listing information
  • Beckenham war memorial
  • Grade II
  • This memorial is protected, and listed on the National Heritage List for England maintained by Historic England. View list entry
  • More about listing and the protection of historic places can be found on the Historic England website
  • Historic England
Condition
History
The original WW1 plaques were replaced in 1950 for ones with smaller lettering (5/16 inches instead of 3/8 inches) to give space to the WW2 plaques. The initial estimate was £400, but the final cost was £700.
Costs

Memorial: £2600 0S 0D

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Bromley Council
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-3842

For queries, please contact [email protected].