Schoolchildren Get Eltham War Memorial Listed
Find out how a primary school in Eltham, Royal Borough of Greenwich, added their local war memorial to the National Heritage List for England.
In October, former pupils from Eltham Church of England Primary received the news that their application to list Eltham War Memorial had been successful. To mark the occasion, the school held a special event at the site where some of the pupils involved were invited to join current pupils in reading a poem and laying a wreath.
This was the result of weeks of hard work in the Summer Term when pupils:
- Researched the history of the memorial using archive newspaper reports
- Spoke to local historians about how the memorial was chosen and who it represents
- Carried out a detailed survey noting the design, materials, inscriptions and any alterations that had occurred since it was unveiled in 1924
- Uploaded a condition survey and photographs to War Memorials Online
- Visited the Commonwealth War Graves in the adjacent churchyard and the roll of honour inside St John the Baptist Church
- Designed their own memorials to past pupils who gave their lives in the First World War
The custodians of the memorial, Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, actively supported their application, as did the church, the borough council and civic society. All were represented at the event held to mark the listing.
