Seven Kent war memorials have been awarded Grade II-listed status ahead of Remembrance Day and the 100th anniversary of the cenotaph.

Memorials in places including Thanet, Folkestone and Sevenoaks, which stand as tribute to those who lost their lives in both World Wars, have been added to the National Heritage List for England.

Tomorrow is Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day - which this year marks 102 years since the end of the First World War.

This year also marks the centenary of the erection of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, which is considered the nation’s main war memorial.

Ahead of this, 20 war memorial across the south east have been given Grade II-listed status, including seven from Kent.

These are: Hever War Memorial; the war memorial at St Peter-in-Thanet Church; the memorial to the crew of the German warship SMS Grosser Kurfürst; Chipstead War Memorial; the war memorial to the Third Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, Milstead; the war memorial to the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry), Folkestone; and Fawkham War Memorial.

Across the country, 132 war memorials have been added to the National Heritage List for England by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, in the past year.

The recently listed memorials are among tens of thousands that were erected across England in memory of the many people who lost their lives in both World Wars.

In place of graves, they became focal points for communities to mourn and honour their dead.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, people have been asked to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day at home this year, making the listings an important part of national commemorations.

Among the seven newly-listed memorials in Kent is the Machine Gun Corps War Memorial, at Cheriton Road Cemetery in Folkestone.

Located just inside the cemetery's gates, it commemorates the fallen from the Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry).

"We are proud to continue our work in recognising and protecting these important public monuments so future generations can continue to honour and remember the fallen.”

The MGC was formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front.

The memorial was originally located at the junction of Cherry Garden Avenue and Cheriton Road and was unveiled on February 19, 1921, by Major-General Sir FH Sykes.

A souvenir programme was produced for the unveiling which listed the names, rank and unit of the 497 dead. The memorial was then moved to its present location at some point after 1970.

Heritage Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "Each year on Remembrance Sunday we come together as a nation in silence to remember and give thanks to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

"In our towns, cities and villages, memorials stand to these brave men and women.

"I am very pleased that this year, as we mark the centenary of the Cenotaph itself, we have protected 132 memorials so that future generations can learn about those who gave so much to our country."

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England added: “Our war memorials across the country remind us of the huge sacrifices made by generations in the conflicts of the last century, and provide communities with a focal point to express their gratitude and loss.

"We are proud to continue our work in recognising and protecting these important public monuments so future generations can continue to honour and remember the fallen.”

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