La Ferte-sous-Jouarre Memorial
| La Ferté-sous-Jouarre | |
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| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
The memorial viewed from the north-east, approaching from along the south bank of the river
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| For British Expeditionary Force | |
| Unveiled | 1928 |
| Location | 48°56′36″N 3°7′25″E / 48.94333°N 3.12361°ECoordinates: 48°56′36″N 3°7′25″E / 48.94333°N 3.12361°E |
| Designed by | George H. Goldsmith |
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Total commemorated
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3739 |
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To the glory of God and the lasting memory of 3888 British officers and men whose graves are not known who landed in France in the month of August 1914 and between then and October fought at Mons and Le Cateau and on the Marne and the Aisne
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| Statistics source: Cemetery Details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. | |
The La Ferté-sous-Jouarre memorial is a World War I memorial in France, located on the south bank of the River Marne, on the outskirts of the commune of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, 66 kilometres east of Paris, in the department of Seine-et-Marne. Also known as the Memorial to the Missing of the Marne, it commemorates over 3,700 British and Irish soldiers with no known grave, who fell in battle in this area in August, September and early October 1914. The soldiers were part of the British Expeditionary Force, and are listed on the memorial by regiment, rank and then alphabetically.
The memorial itself is a rectangular block of white stone, 62 feet by 30 feet and 24 feet high, surmounted by a large stone sarcophagus. On top of the sarcophagus are carved representations of trophies of war, including a flag, bayonets, and a helmet. The year 1914 is carved below the sarcophagus, while the names of the dead are carved in panels on all four sides of the memorial. The two shorter sides of the memorial are decorated with a carved, downwards pointing sword, while the front and back of the memorial are carved with inscription panels surmounted by a carved wreath and a carved stone crown. The inscription on the river-facing side is in French, while the inscription on the other side is in English. The memorial is mounted on a stepped stone pavement, at the four corners of which are stone pillars, carved with the coats of arms of the British Empire (the coats of arms are labelled England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland), and topped by stone urns. One of the stone pillars was designed to hold a memorial register, which is now kept at the local town hall. At the front of the memorial's pavement is a stone of remembrance inscribed with the words: "Their name liveth for evermore."
The memorial's French inscription says:
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