First World War Archives - Page 2 of 3

Featured local business - Clubtek

Forest

SE23

Hill

I was already a regular visitor to Clubtek’s DJ shop when it was in Penge, but now they're even handier in Stanstead Road, just a few doors down from Shannon’s Garden Centre - another old favourite. It’s by no means just for DJs and bands...

Peace meetings in First World War Lewisham

May

2015

Opposing the First World War was a difficult business, with harassment from the authorities and from pro-war mobs. In 1916, Nellie Best of the Women's Anti-Conscription League was jailed for 6 months for deterring recruiting, and the Lewisham Borough Peace and Anti-Conscription Council passed a resolution demanding her release (Daily Herald,15 April 1916).Sylvia Pankhurst, the ...

A look back at the tragic sinking of the HMS Good Hope

Oct

2014

With the hundred year anniversary fast approaching of one of Britain's worst naval disasters, there is something quite mournful about the leaf covered wording on the side of the Hawkes family grave a few yards from busy Brockley Road. It records the death of Able Seaman Reuben Ernest Hawkes, son of George and Amelia of Woodpecker Road ...

World War One: the first local deaths

Aug

2014

Thousands of people from the Lewisham area were killed in the First World War. If you want to get an idea of the sheer scale of the devastation have a look at the Commonwealth Graves Commission site. It includes a fairly comprehensive list of casualties from both world wars and on their 'Find War Dead' ...

Wrenches, Trenches, and Stenches: a public art exhibition commemorating the start of the First World War

Jul

2014

Ladywell Chapel hosted a two day art exhibition commemorating the start of the First World War. on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd August 2014.The First World War - or the Great War 1914-1918 was fought on 3 continents and saw 14 million killed and 34 million wounded. This year commemorates the 100th year anniversary of ...

The WW1 scandal of the sinking of Submarine E13

May

2014

Following the recent cutting back of overgrowth by Bereavement Services employees in the Ladywell section of the cemetery we were particularly pleased to be able to locate the family grave of Able Seaman Alfred J Payne. The grave lies a few yards from the path that runs alongside the boundary with the Brockley side. In the early hours of August 19 ...

Lewisham First World War Resisters

May

2014

Today is apparently International Conscientious Objectors Day, marked around the world each year on 15 May to commemorate those who have refused to fight in wars.Lewisham have launched an interesting and rapidly developing 'London Borough of Lewisham in the First World War' wiki, which includes information about local war resisters at that time. They have ...

FORGOTTEN BATTLEFRONTS OF WORLD WAR ONE

Feb

2014

With the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War later this year, the FOBLC will be undertaking a 'curtain raiser' guided walk to the family graves of some of the soldiers and seamen who gave their lives for King and Country in some of the lesser known war zones of World War 1.Men of the 1/5th Battalion of the ...

Francis Paget Hewkley: awarded Military Medal for bravery at the Somme

Sep

2013

Many thanks to Stuart Hallifax who has written a great piece on Francis Paget Hewkley in his Great War London blog. Hewkley was brought up in London, emigrated to Australia in 1912 and then enlisted a signalman in the Australian infantry. He served at Gallipoli before transferring to the Western Front where he won a Military Medal for ...

British Lion and Great War hero

Jun

2013

The somewhat run down family grave of Forest Hill Wine Merchant Bruce Beveridge Todd and his wife Phoebe lies next to the Dissenter's Chapel in the Ladywell section of the cemetery. However that of their son Alexander Findlater Todd born 20 th September 1873 , known as 'Fin' to his friends, is sadly missing from ...

Oh What a Lovely War: the First World War and a New Cross Church

Mar

2013

This weekend a cast and crew of around two hundred are taking part in the Telegraph Hill Festival Community Production of Oh What a Lovely War. The musical about the First World War was developed by Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop and first premiered almost exactly fifty years ago on 19 March 1963.This might ...