The quote
"Lest we forget" from the poem "Recessional" by Rudyard Kipling is located on the Centennial War Memorial.
"Recessional is a poem by Rudyard Kipling. It was composed for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, in 1897.
“Recessional” contains five stanzas of six lines each. As a recessional is a hymn or piece of music that is sung or played at the end of a religious service, in some respects the title dictates the form of the poem, which is that of a traditional English hymn.
Initially, Kipling had not intended to write a poem for the Jubilee. It was written and published only towards the close of the Jubilee celebrations, and represents a comment on them, an afterword. The poem was first published in The Times on July 17, 1897.
The poem went against the celebratory mood of the time, providing instead a reminder of the transient nature of British Imperial power. The poem expresses both pride in the British Empire, but also an underlying sadness that the Empire might go the way of all previous empires. "The title and its allusion to an end rather than a beginning add solemnity and gravitas to Kipling's message." In the poem, Kipling argues that boasting and jingoism, faults of which he was often accused, were inappropriate and vain in light of the permanence of God.
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine —
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart:
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And, guarding, calls not Thee to guard;
For frantic boast and foolish word—
Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!"
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The war memorial commemorates the centenary of the end of the First World War. The memorial is a black granite plinth mounted with a statue of the soldier Haron J Baronian and is Grade II listed. The description given by Historic England can be seen at the following link: (
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The front of the memorial is inscribed with the following dedication;
THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY
MAYOR OF KNUTSFORD
COUNCILLOR PETER COAN
6TH OCTOBER 2018
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENARY
OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
DEDICATED OT THE FALLEN OF
KNUTSFORD
LEST WE FORGET
KNUTSFORD TOWN COUNCIL
THIS STATUE IS ONE OF ONLY SIX MEMORIAL STATUES IN
THE COUNTRY WHERE THE FIGURE DEPICTED IS THE
LIKENESS OF A KNOWN SERVICEMAN
HARON J BARONIAN
8TH BATTALION CHESHIRE REGIMENT
KILLED IN ACTION 11TH April 1917
COMMISSIONED BY THE FAMILY
SCULPTOR HAMO THORNEYCROFT RA
CAST BY ALBION ART FOUNDRY LTD
LONDON 1918
STOOD ORIGINALLY IN THE GROUNDS OF THE FAMILY
HOME BRAE COTTAGE LEGH ROAD AND SUBSEQUENTLY
AT THE WAR MEMORIAL COTTAGE HOSPITAL The Centennial War Memorial was unveiled on 6th October 2018 by the Mayor of Knutsford, and is the Town Council’s lasting commemoration of the centenary of the First World War. It is the first time that all names of the fallen have been brought together in one memorial.
The memorial also includes two names of servicemen who gave their lives in service since World War II.
The memorial incorporates the statue of Haron J Baronian. It was originally commissioned as a family memorial and stood in the grounds of the family home on Legh Road. It was relocated to the War Memorial Cottage Hospital in the 1970s.
The sides of the memorial are inscribed with the names of the fallen. Their names can be seen at the following links: (
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