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{{Short description|War memorial in London}}{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

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|lat = |long = |extra =}}The Bromley Parish Church Memorial commemorates the deceased parishioners of World War I. The war memorial was designed and constructed by British sculptor Sydney March, of the March family of artists.

Design

The Bromley Parish Church Memorial was erected in the churchyard of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, also known as Bromley Parish Church, on Church Road in Bromley, Greater London, England.WEB, Bromley Parish Church Memorial,www.bromley.gov.uk/directory_record/4742/bromley_parish_church_memorial, bromley.gov.uk, London Borough of Bromley, 2 April 2012, WEB, Latitude and Longitude of a Point,itouchmap.com/latlong.html, itouchmap.com, 2 April 2012, In addition to a memorial cross in the churchyard, there was also a bronze plaque in the church which recorded the names of the fallen parishioners.WEB, Bromley Parish Church Memorial,docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:WEbfdUHmJU0J:www.bromley.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/286/war_memorials_in_bromley+Bromley+War+Memorial&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESicbqAoBWOIj_iZ8SuWwSFYuK0xJy_gLZn2Xu9DTx4V50XJSO74sBbB9W_XvREMBxrJvqObs-iEE1Aymxw8QoiU7mW28m7pOrSLDzSvjMAKItD9YNh10OCUEpetEXDYvzv7J6cZ&sig=AHIEtbT8wXQNXV22iBs7nJV-Vi_oL_u6gA, bromley.gov.uk, War Memorials in Bromley, 2 April 2012, 6, The cross is made of Portland stone, a limestone quarried on the Isle of Portland in the English Channel. Its design is of the gothic period. The memorial cross is approximately five meters tall, with four carved figures. They represent Saint Michael, Saint George, Victory, and Peace. In addition, there are several inscriptions at the base of the cross: “In memory of the Men from this Church and Parish who gave their lives in the War of 1914–1919,” “Make them to be numbered with the Saints in glory everlasting,” and “Their names are recorded on a tablet in the Church.” The memorial cross is positioned in a rose garden, surrounded by a high beech hedge.WEB, London Gardens Online – St Peter and St Paul’s Churchyard, Bromley,www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=BRO081, londongardensonline.org.uk, London Parks & Gardens Trust, 2 April 2012, WEB, War Memorial, St Peter & St Paul, The Parish Church of Bromley, Church Road, Bromley, London Borough of Bromley,www.flickr.com/photos/mynameismisty/3909694036/, flickr.com, Yahoo Inc!, 2 April 2012,

Dedication

The Bromley Parish Church Memorial commemorates the parishioners of St. Peter and St. Paul who lost their lives in World War I. It was unveiled on 20 March 1921 by Major General Sir John Raynsford Longley, K.C.M.G., C.B. (1867–1953). Longley served in the military from 1902 to 1923, and then came out of retirement to serve during World War II.WEB, Major General Sir John Raynsford Longley KCMG CB 1920 – 1939,www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/076.html, queensroyalsurreys.org.uk, The Queen’s Royal Surrey Regimental Association, 2 April 2012,www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/076.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120403032327www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/076.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120403032327www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/076.html, 3 April 2012, dead, The war memorial was dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester, Dr. John Reginald Harmer (1857–1944). An Anglican bishop, he served as Bishop of Adelaide before accepting the see of Rochester.BOOK, Harmer, John Reginald (1857–1944), The Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,adb.anu.edu.au/biography/harmer-john-reginald-6566, Hilliard, David, 2 April 2012, After the unveiling and dedication of the memorial cross in the churchyard, the dignitaries and parishioners returned to the church where the bronze plaque was unveiled. This was followed by a service, led by the Vicar, the Reverend J. K. Wilson.

Bombing and rebuilding

.On the night of 16 April 1941, heavy bombing inflicted damage on many churches. Bromley Parish Church was nearly completely destroyed; the only portion which survived was the 14th century tower. The bronze tablet inside St. Peter and St. Paul, which formed part of the Bromley Parish Church Memorial, was lost in the air raid. However, the memorial cross in the churchyard survived. Bromley Parish Church was rebuilt after World War II. The foundation stone for the church was laid on 13 October 1949 by Queen Elizabeth, then a princess. On 14 December 1957, construction of the new church was completed. The new bells of the church incorporated some of the metal from the original.WEB, Bromley Parish Church – Guide and History,www.bromleyparishchurch.org/images/bromley_parish_church_-_guide_and_history.pdf, bromleyparishchurch.org, Bromley Parish Church, St Peter and St Paul, 2 April 2012, {{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Sculptor

Both the memorial cross in the churchyard and the bronze plaque in the church were designed and made by British sculptor Sydney March.WEB, A Bronze Coronation Portrait Bust of King Edward VII (1841–1910) signed Sydney March for the founders Elkington & Co.,www.armoury.co.uk/#/items/286, armoury.co.uk, The Armoury of St. James’s, 2 April 2012, The son of George and Elizabeth March, he was born in 1876 in Stoneferry, East Yorkshire, England. He was the second of nine children, eight of whom chose careers as artists.WEB, March, Sidney, 1891 England Census, ancestry.com, Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891. The National Archives of the UK (as re-printed on Ancestry.com), Sydney March exhibited thirteen times at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts.WEB, March, Sydney, Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain & Ireland 1851–1951,sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib4_1261394439, sculpture.gla.ac.uk, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, 2 April 2012, 14 October 2013,sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib4_1261394439," title="web.archive.org/web/20131014205521sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib4_1261394439,">web.archive.org/web/20131014205521sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib4_1261394439, dead, He and his siblings established art studios at their family home of Goddendene in Locksbottom, Farnborough, Kent.WEB, March, Sydney, First World War Art – Sculpture,www.dcfa.com/Sculpture/slides/3396.shtml, dsfa.com, David Cohen Fine Art, 2 April 2012, He was a prolific artist whose focus was war memorials, and sculptures of British royalty and contemporary figures. Sydney, together with his sister and brothers, completed the National War Memorial of Canada after the untimely death of their sibling, sculptor Vernon March, in 1930.NEWS, Memorial to a celebrated sculptor,www.derryjournal.com/news/local/memorial_to_a_celebrated_sculptor_1_2127878, 2 April 2012, Derry Journal, 15 July 2008, Baker, Eamonn, {{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Other monuments for which Sydney March is renowned include the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers South African War Memorial in Northern Ireland,WEB, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers South African War Memorial,www.omagh.gov.uk/culture_leisure_and_tourism/things_to_do/activities/history_and_heritage/item.php?id=40, omagh.gov.uk, Omagh District Council, 2 April 2012, dead,www.omagh.gov.uk/culture_leisure_and_tourism/things_to_do/activities/history_and_heritage/item.php?id=40," title="web.archive.org/web/20131024085135www.omagh.gov.uk/culture_leisure_and_tourism/things_to_do/activities/history_and_heritage/item.php?id=40,">web.archive.org/web/20131024085135www.omagh.gov.uk/culture_leisure_and_tourism/things_to_do/activities/history_and_heritage/item.php?id=40, 24 October 2013, the United Empire Loyalist Monument in Canada,WEB, Loyalist Monuments – Hamilton UEL Monument,www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Monuments/Hamilton-Monument.php, uelac.org, United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, 2 April 2012, and the Lancaster Monument in England.WEB, The Lancaster Monument, East Sheen Cemetery, Richmond,www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-438030-the-lancaster-monument-east-sheen-cemete, britishlistedbuildings.co.uk, British Listed Buildings, 2 April 2012, His smaller-scale works include portrait busts of King Edward VIIWEB, King Edward VII,www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02038/King-Edward-VII?LinkID=mp07281&search=sas&sText=Sydney+March&OConly=true&role=art&rNo=0, npg.org.uk, National Portrait Gallery, 2 April 2012, and Cecil John Rhodes,WEB, Cecil John Rhodes,www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw05290/Cecil-John-Rhodes?LinkID=mp07281&search=sas&sText=Sydney+March&OConly=true&role=art&rNo=1, npg.org.uk, National Portrait Gallery, 2 April 2012, both in London’s National Portrait Gallery.

See also

• Bromley War Memorial

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• {{Commons category-inline|Bromley Parish Church Memorial}}

{{Public art in London|other monuments}}