Parking
There is a fair amount of parking avalable in Dorking but you will almost certainly have to pay for it. I have included waypoints for the two closest pay & display car parks to this cache.
The cache
This is a Virtual cache. As such there is no physical cache to find. Instead you need to visit the location and perform a task that proves you were there. I am giving you a choice of two. You do not need to do both. Just one will suffice.
Both tasks require you to answer a question. Do NOT post answers in your log. If you do I will immediately delete your log. Instead, message or email me the answer through my profile. Note: I will only reply if your answer is incorrect.
Task 1. Facing the memorial, to the right is a bench with a plaque "In loving memory of Bert Coombes". What are his years? (YYYY ~ YYYY)
Task 2. Facing memorial, to the left (a little distance away) is a metal cover in the pavement. In the centre is some information including the word "Plastech". What is the telephone number? (XXXXX XXXXXX)
Proof of completion of a task should be provided at the same time as logging the cache. Failure to provide such proof within a week of logging the cache will result in the deletion of your log.
This is a replacement for the short lived previous cache of the same name.
The memorial
Erected in 1921, extended after 1945. Designed by Thomas Braddock. Portland stone ashlar.
The memorial is on a raised platform set against a wall retaining an upper road. It takes the form of an aedicule, with plain pilasters, a moulded cornice and triangular pediment with central cartouche. Three slightly recessed panels are inscribed with the names of the fallen, above which in large capital letters are engraved the words "IN MEMORY OF DORKING MEN WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR". The plinth bears a smaller inscription: "They were a wall unto us both by night and by day 1 Sam XXV 16". The pilasters each have roundels bearing the dates 1914 and 1919.
Attached to either side of the main 1914-1919 memorial are low splayed projections in the form of pedestals, the inner-facing panels of which display the names of those who died in the Second World War. At the end of each respectively are the dates 1939 and 1945, each circled by a wreath. There are two flagpoles attached to the retaining wall on either side of the earlier memorial, which are part of the original design.
The war memorial was unveiled in 1921 to commemorate the men of Dorking who had lost their lives in the Great War. An inscription records that the architect was Thomas Braddock, who had won a competition to design the memorial. Braddock, MP for Mitcham between 1945 and 1950, is better known for his political career, although he was also part of the team that designed cinemas in London for the Odeon chain, including Leicester Square.
The memorial originally seems to have incorporated a bandstand, iron railings and wooden seating. During the Second World War the railings were taken for the war effort, and after the war the seating was removed and two low walls added to either side of the memorial: these commemorate the dead of the Second World War. The two flanking flagpoles, originally rising from near the base of the memorial on the retaining wall, were moved to a higher position to accommodate these extensions. Later additions include three spot lights attached above the cornice
Yet more information here. Look for the sad tale of Valentine Joe Strudwick.
***** PLEASE NOTE IMPORTANT *****
CACHES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE PLACED ON ACTUAL MEMORIALS OR WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF SUCH
AT ALL TIMES PLEASE TREAT LOCATIONS OF MEMORIALS WITH RESPECT
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.