{The monument has 6 faces and the base has 3 steps. Starting on the south face, going anti-clockwise, each face being read top to bottom:
Stone carving of a shield surrounded with holly leaves:}
1919
{Original copper plaque:}
"These stones shall be for a memorial for ever," to those men of Loughton parish, who laid down their lives for their country in the Great War, 1914 - 1919.
{Carved on the riser of the top step:}
In memory of the men and women of Loughton who made the supreme sacrifice for King and Country in the Second World War 1939 - 1945.
{Bronze plaque attached to the riser of the middle step:
64 names in alphabetical sequence, in 7 columns, the last with only 4 names.}
{Stone carving of a shield surrounded with laurel leaves:}
1914
{Original copper plaque:}
1914
{a list of 3 names}
1915
{a list of 13 names}
{at the bottom of the plaque: 3 symbols: English rose, Fleur de lys, English rose.
{Bronze plaque attached immediately below the copper plaque:
6 names in alphabetical sequence}
{Bronze plaque attached to the riser of the middle step:
a list of 4 names in alphabetical sequence}
{Stone carving of a shield surrounded with beech leaves and fruit:}
1915
{Original copper plaque:}
1916
{a list of 19 names}
{Stone carving of a shield surrounded with ivy leaves and fruit:}
1916
{Original copper plaque:}
1916
{a list of 3 names}
1917
{a list of 15 names}
{Stone carving of a shield surrounded with holly leaves and berries:}
1917
{Original copper plaque:}
1917
{a list of 12 names}
1918
{a list of 6 names}
{Stone carving of a shield surrounded with rose leaves and blooms:}
1918
{Original copper plaque:}
{a list of 19 names}
{bronze plaque attached immediately below the copper plaque:}
{a list of 6 names in alphabetical sequence.}
{For all the names see Subjects commemorated.}
The quotation on the 1919 face comes from the Bible, Joshua 4:3, 6-7: "... and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever."
We like the design of this memorial, which we are sure initially had only the nice copper plaques. The bronze plaques attached immediately below the copper ones presumably list the men who died (or whose death was discovered) after the memorial was designed.
Possibly the intention was that the year given in the lovely stone reliefs on each face would indicate the year of death of the names listed there, but that did not happen, and indeed could never have. In the world wars men died in large numbers and in untidy ways, making the listing of the names something that all communities struggled with. The copper WW1 plaques list the names under years, and we have taken that to indicate the year of death of the men listed below.
Although it is not stated explicitly we have taken all the names that are given below the carved inscription about WW2 to be men who died in that war. The inscription includes "women" but at this time any women would have been listed with their first name given in full, and all we have here are initials so we have assumed all names are male.
We thank Jan Elson, our Horticultural Consultant, for identifying the beech leaves and fruit in the '1915' carving.
Some info about many of the names is available at the Loughton Roll of Honour.
Site: Loughton war memorial (1 memorial)
IG10, King's Green
The IWM and War Memorials Online have some close-up photos showing the two different types of plaques.
The WW2 names were only added in 2002. Loughton Town Council explains: "... the Town Council learned of a Loughton soldier whose name should have been included on the memorial. The council decided to remedy the oversight and, at the same time, see if there were any other names that should rightfully be displayed. This included those from Loughton who died in the Second World War. ... The new name plaques were then cast and fixed to the War Memorial. A moving ceremony to dedicate the plaques was held in June 2002. ... paid tribute to the 64 soldiers who died in the Second World War and the 12 who were killed in the First World War. ... In 2015, the Town Council also responded to requests for the names of family members not originally included in the plaques to be added. Those were Warrant Officer Harold James Bassingthwaite (d 1945), Pilot Officer Gerald Frank Russell Cooke (d 1942) and 2nd Lieutenant Harold Johnson Martin (d 1942)."
We note that the bronze plaque containing these three names also contained a fourth: C. G. Howe.
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