War Memorial
When the First World War came to an end, the people of Leigh were determined that those who had not come home should be remembered in a permanent and fitting way. The process began formally in May 1919, when Leigh Parish Council called a public meeting to consider how the village might honour its dead. From that gathering a war memorial committee was established, with Mr D W Gordon taking the chair. Mr Boby served as the committee's secretary, while the treasurer's role was filled by Mrs Harold Cox, known to the village as Helen.
Money had to be found before any stone could be cut, and the village responded generously. Between August 1919 and March 1921 the fund grew by £466, a remarkable sum for a rural community at the time. Among the donations was one from the architect himself: Mr Arthur Cooksey gave 10 guineas to the cause. The chairman of the committee and his wife contributed £75 between them. A site for the memorial was secured when Lord Hollenden gave a plot on the Green, placing the memorial at the heart of village life.
The design was entrusted to Mr Arthur Cooksey, an architect of distinction who held the honour of FRIBA. Before any permanent work began, two wooden models were prepared so that the committee and villagers could see what the finished memorial would look like. These models, made by Messrs Pannett & Sons, cost £22. The cross itself was constructed by Burslems of Tunbridge Wells, a firm of considerable reputation, and was mounted upon an octagonal pillar of Portland stone. The whole structure rests on a concrete base four feet in depth, giving it a firm and lasting foundation.
The memorial was dedicated on 12 November 1920, and the ceremony attracted wider attention: The Times published a picture of the new village cross. The accounts of the project survive in detail. The total cost came to £477-2-9d, of which the memorial itself accounted for £429-8-2d. Even the smallest expenses were recorded, including 5 shillings paid to the bugler who sounded at the ceremony, £4-11-6d for the printed service forms, and £1-3-6d for the invitation cards sent to guests.
In 1922 responsibility for the memorial's upkeep was handed over to the Parish Council, an arrangement that required negotiations with the Ministry of Health. The memorial's surroundings changed with the coming of the next war. In 1940 or 1941 the chains around the memorial were removed as part of the war effort, and the posts that had held them were finally taken away in 1946.
Peace brought a second task of remembrance. On 13 November 1947 Charlie Ingram made a proposal that the fallen of the Second World War should also be commemorated, and the British Legion was consulted about the form an honour roll should take. In the end eleven names were added for the 1939 to 1945 war. Burslems, who had built the original cross, returned in 1948 to carry out the inscription work, and the new lettering was painted with gold size to make it stand out. Four oak seats were commissioned from the British Legion Workshops, which were located near Maidstone, giving visitors a place to sit and reflect. These seats were later replaced.
Among the names on the memorial are servicemen whose careers spanned every branch of the forces. Faircloth F served with the Royal West Kent Regiment, while Batchelor H and Flower A.L. both served in the Royal Navy. Bourner J saw service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and Young M served with the Royal Garrison Artillery. The memorial also records Russell L of the 27th Light Cavalry and Horan S.J.L. of the Hampshire Light Regiment. From the air, Chandler L.A. served with the RAF, and Bickersteth E.R. served with the RAOC. Together these names, alongside their comrades, show how widely the war reached into the village.
This account draws on an article published in the Parish Magazine in November 2001, itself based on research undertaken by Sue Featherstone. The memorial is recorded by the Imperial War Museum under reference number 41147, ensuring that Leigh's place in the national record of remembrance is preserved for future generations.