The Rainham War Memorial commemorates soldiers killed in both World Wars as well as civilian casualties of World War II.

Monument

The monument is a clock tower in the centre of the town of Rainham, Greater London,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

.British Listed Buildings – Rainham War Memorial, Rainham
/ref> It is constructed of red Belgian brick, with Portland stone dressings. Portland stone is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

quarried on the

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct fr ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, England. There is cast stone ornamentation as well. The memorial is a hexagonal short tower with clock faces on three of its sides. On a sloping base, the names of the war dead are inscribed. In addition, stone blocks inscribed with "Lest We Forget" are positioned at angles to the tower. There are also inscription panels on the sides of the monument. Narrow pilasters decorate the angles of the clock tower. Arches are present over a niche and doorway. The top of the clock tower features a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

with balustrade. Iron railings surround the memorial, which is prominently sited between Broadway and Upminster Road in front of Saint Helen and Saint Giles, the parish church of Rainham. The Rainham War Memorial was built in 1920 by a Mr. Vinton. It was unveiled by Colonel Sir Francis Henry Douglas Charlton Whitmore (1872–1962) on 7 November 1920. He served as

Lord Lieutenant of Essex This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Since 1688, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Essex. *John Petre, 1st Baron Petre * John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford 1558–? * Robert Dudley, 1st E ...

from 1936 to 1958. The Rainham War Memorial was added to the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

on 25 March 2002 as a Grade II

listed structure 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 ...

. A Grade II structure is felt to be nationally important and of special interest. In the photograph to the right, red poppy wreaths around the Rainham War Memorial further commemorate the area's dead soldiers. The

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

service continues to be held annually by the memorial. Also referred to as

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, Fran ...

Poppy Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

, it is observed on 11 November. The residents of Rainham pay their respects by placing crosses and fresh poppy wreaths adjacent to the monument.youstayuk.com – Rainham, Essex
One of the soldiers represented on the monument is Second Lieutenant Ralph Luxmore Curtis, a World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with fifteen aerial victories. A native of Rainham, the nineteen-year-old engaged in aerial combat with

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

, commander of Jasta 27 and future head of the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

References

External links

English Heritage – National Heritage List for England – Rainham War Memorial – Map to scale

English Heritage – National Heritage List for England – Rainham War Memorial – Map not to scale
{{LB Havering Clock towers in the United Kingdom Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Havering World War I memorials in England World War II memorials in England Military memorials in London British military memorials and cemeteries Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Havering Cenotaphs in the United Kingdom Individual clocks in England Towers completed in 1920

Monument

See also

References

External links