Southend-on-Sea War Memorial

Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom

Freely accessible

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Southend-on-Sea War Memorial is a First World War memorial in Essex designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled on 27 November 1921. Built in Portland limestone, the monument comprises an obelisk rising from a screen wall, one of six such obelisks Lutyens created for British war memorials and closely resembling those for Northampton and the North Eastern Railway. The memorial was originally conceived as a cenotaph but revised at committee request; it stands within a garden also designed by Lutyens, where the words "lest we forget" are set in stone on the lawn. Rather than inscribing the names of 1,338 local dead on the memorial itself, they are recorded on plaques at Prittlewell Priory. The memorial was unveiled by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex and dedicated by the Bishop of Chelmsford before a large gathering of civic and military dignitaries. Upgraded to Grade II* listed status in 2015 when Lutyens's memorials were declared a national collection, the monument was further enhanced with an added soldier statue in 2019.