A memorial for East Dulwich

[JeffJames]

I propose that a list is compiled of East Dulwich men and women and children, both civilian and military, that died in the two World Wars and other conflicts. For example, a list from East Dulwich churches. On plaques and memorials and other places such as the plaque at the 'sorting office' in Sylvester Road. I would like your help to compile the list. It may be possible to have a permanent plaque sited in East Dulwich. As a child, I remember the trauma associated with the bombings at Hindmans Road and the Co-op, Lordship Lane. I also have an abiding memory of the kindness shown by the people of East Dulwich.

[northlondoner]

The chap living across the road from me remembers being buried under the rubble of the post office as a child after a German airstrike. PM me and I'll approach him for you if you wish. Unless you ARE him of course.Would also be great to include local people who've died in Iraq and afghanistan.

[JeffJames]

Thanks for your comments. No I am not him! I would like the names of those from East Dulwich that lost their lives. I think there is a need for a central ED memorial or plaque. As time moves on those local memorials become separated and forgotten.

[new mother]

ComPletely agree and would contribute if nec.

[edhistory]

An excellent proposal.

Are you going to gather a group to take this forward as a project?

I can contribute the free use of a meeting room that seats 18.

John K

[DulwichGroveURC]

Please email me on deanotlr@aol.com and I will gladly give you a list of those who died from Dulwich Grove Congregational Church (as was, now URC).

All good wishes,

Dean Taylor

[edhistory]

The Dulwich Society are working on a similar project to commemorate World War Two civilian deaths by marking with metal plaques the sites where there were multiple air-raid deaths.

The project extends into East Dulwich with plaques proposed for:

Dog Kennel Hill

Dovercourt Road

Dunstans Road

Friern Road

Grove Vale

Lordship Lane

Melbourne Grove

Underhill Road

Woodvale

It is unclear whether the East Dulwich Society is involved with this project.

John K

[Vilmos]

This has been wanted for a long time now.

East Dulwich suffered its share of bombing during the Second World War, a 500lb bomb landed on, and totally demolished, a Church in Friern Road. A new one was built and consecrated around 1950, but there is nothing there to tell people what happened.

East Dulwich suffered badly when the V1 and V2 rockets were launched against London in 1944. There were several nasty incidents in which people were killed, but two particularly bad ones were when a V1 struck the Coop shop on Saturday the 5th of August 1944. Around 23 people perished. Another incident of note happened when a V2 Rocket landed on Ethrow Street at the junction with Friern Road killing over twenty people.

There is nothing to commemorate these fatalities, or to say what the people living hereabouts went through during those terrible days. We do owe it to them to commemorate their suffering with the mounting of plaques describing the incidents and listing fatalities. Many people who died as result of the bombing did so days or weeks after the incidents, in hospital, and there is nothing to link their deaths with the bombings.

One final thought: There was an incident at the junction of East Dulwich Road and Peckham Rye, where the King's Arms pub used to be (now a converted block of flats). A house had been converted into a factory making womens' undergarments and several young girls worked in there. On the 22 of June 1944 a Doodlebug was heard and the people working in the factory hurried into the shelter just outside the house. The bomb destroyed the house, much of the rubble landing on the shelter. People hurried to dig them out, and the factory people could be heard singing in order to keep their spirits up. Tragically, by the time the rescuers reached them they had all suffocated to death. There were around 16 fatalities in that incident and very few people know anything about it.

All these incidents can be researched in the John Harvard Library on Borough High Street where all the records relating to the bombing of Southwark are kept.

[JeffJames]

Thank you for your reply. As well as, I have been in touch with Southwark's Local History Library and they have provided useful facts and background. In due course, I will make a proposal as to how this might be progressed.

[JeffJames]

Dean,

Can you please confirm your e-mail.

Jeff James

[JeffJames]

On Tuesday, I visited both the Old and the New Camberwell cemeteries. There is a Memorial listing the names of civilians killed in 1939-45 air-raids in the New cemetery and in the Old cemetery, a substantial First WW1 military memorial with WW2 additions. Both in their own way are appropriate, being in a peaceful, secluded, part of Dulwich. At the time they were placed there was probably no need to consider a future for them. Because of the location only a few people would ever get to see the names. In many ways, my visit confirmed my thinking that a more, central, public memorial should be considered. What, initally, was thought to be complex piece of research has boiled down to the military records for the 1939-45 conflict and any following that. Through Southwark Library, records are available for the civilian war dead 1914-18, 22 in Camberwell. The civilian war dead for 1939-45 and the Roll of Honour for the Great War 1914-18. Unfortunately, the Roll of Honour for 1939-45 has not been replicated in the same way as for the 1914-18 conflict which conveniently has a London section. Therefore, the names would be best gathered from local memorials and archives instead of going through the National Roll of Honour. However, this has the benefit of local involvement and anyone reading this that would like to help to gather the names should contact me through the ED forum. As a final thought, I would like to suggest Goose Green as a location for the new memorial.