War memorial on Borough High Street, south London - geograph

St Saviour's War Memorial is a war memorial on

Borough High Street Borough High Street is a road in Southwark, London, running south-west from London Bridge, forming part of the A3 route which runs from London to Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. Overview Borough High Street continues southwest a ...

, in the former parish of

Southwark St Saviour Southwark St Saviour ( ) was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England, and part of the ancient Borough of Southwark. It was formed in 1541 from the union of the parishes of St Margaret and St Mary. It was abolished in 1930, ...

, to south of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in London. It became a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1998 and was upgraded to Grade II* in 2018. The memorial includes a bronze sculpture by

Philip Lindsey Clark Philip Lindsey Clark (1889–1977) was an English sculptor. Background Philip Lindsey Clark was born in London. His father was the sculptor Robert Lindsey Clark. He worked with his father at the Cheltenham School of Art from 1905 to 1910 an ...

. He had enlisted as a private in the

Artists' Rifles The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles is a regiment of the Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R). Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regimen ...

in 1914, and was commissioned in the 11th (Service) (1st South Down) Battalion of the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot ...

in 1916, ending the war as a captain with a DSO. The figure is similar to one of three included in his Cameronians War Memorial in Glasgow, unveiled in 1924: an infantryman in battledress advancing, carrying a rifle with attached bayonet slung over his shoulder. In the Cameronians Memorial, the figure advances with the rifle held in the right hand. The bronzes for both memorials were cast by the Maneti foundry in London. A similar sculpture of an infantryman with rifle was used by

Albert Toft Albert Toft (3 June 1862 – 18 December 1949) was a British Sculpture, sculptor. Toft's career was dominated by public commemorative commissions in bronze, mostly single statues of military or royal figures. The Diamond Jubilee of Queen V ...

for the

Royal Fusiliers War Memorial The Royal Fusiliers War Memorial is a memorial in London, dedicated to the members of the Royal Fusiliers killed in the World Wars, Russian Civil War and subsequent conflicts, along with members of a number of London Regiment battalions kille ...

in Holborn. The statue stands on a high

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

pedestal with rounded ends. On its long sides are bronze reliefs: one with biplanes, to the west, and another with battleships, to the east. On one side below the biplanes plaque is the inscription "Give honour to the men of St. Saviours Southwark who gave their lives for the empire 1914–1918. Their names are inscribed within the parish church. May their memory live for ever in the minds of men." and on the other side below the battleships plaque is the inscription "This memorial was erected by the parishioners of Saint Saviour's Southwark in the year 1922." A model of the main figure was exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1923. The ends of the pedestal are decorated with stone carvings of

Saint George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...

to the front (south), and a carving of a mourning woman with child and dove to the rear (north). The memorial was funded by public subscription, and the design was chosen by a competition. The £4,000 raised also allowed a bronze memorial plaque by Sir

John Ninian Comper Sir John Ninian Comper (10 June 1864 – 22 December 1960) was a Scottish architect; one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects. His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the des ...

to be erected in

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...

naming 344 war dead from the parish, also cast by Maneti. Both memorials were unveiled on 16 November 1922 by General

Henry Horne, 1st Baron Horne General Henry Sinclair Horne, 1st Baron Horne, (19 February 1861 – 14 August 1929) was a military officer in the British Army, most notable for his generalship during the First World War. He was the only British artillery officer to command a ...

, and dedicated on the same day by the Suffragan

Bishop of Woolwich The Bishop of Woolwich is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Woolwich, a suburb of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Two o ...

, William Hough. It was dismantled, restored and rebuilt in 2013, and rededicated in 2014 by the

Dean of Southwark The Dean of Southwark is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Southwark Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Saviour ...

Andrew Nunn Andrew Peter Nunn (born 30 July 1957) is a British Anglican priest. Since 2012, he has been the Dean of Southwark in the Church of England. Early life Nunn was born on 30 July 1957 in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire. From 1975 to 1979, he studied ...

. File:Southwark War Memorial 1.jpg File:Southwark War Memorial - aircraft.jpg File:Southwark War Memorial - ships.jpg

References

St Saviours Southwark War Memorial
Historic England
St Saviour's war memorial
londonremembers.com
Borough High Street war memorial rededicated
London SE1, 30 March 2014
St. Saviour's War Memorial, Borough High St.
Public Monuments and Sculpture Association
Southwark War Memorial
Imperial War Museum
Southwark
War Memorials Online

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Saviour's War Memorial 1922 establishments in England 1922 in London 1922 sculptures Bronze sculptures in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark Grade II* listed monuments and memorials Military memorials in London Sculptures of men in London Statues in London World War I memorials in England

See also

References

External links