Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries

Remembrance Day: a memorial to the fallen from Crofton Park

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Whilst we commemorate the fallen on this Remembrance Day it seems a particularly appropriate time to bring you this research by FOBLC members David Platt and Michael Martin into the story of Reginald Mines and the other soldiers from Crofton Park commemorated by the Celtic cross in front of St Hilda’s church.

Great War Commemorations

Early in 1915 it was decided by the British Government that it would be impossible to return all the dead from the Great War to Britain for burial. As result it became policy to not return any and that they were to be interred where they fell with their comrades.

All over the country memorials sprung up, often sponsored by the donations of relatives of the dead. There is a column in Brockley and Ladywell cemetery paid for
by the people of Lewisham, located in front of the newly refurbished Commonwealth War Graves Screen Wall Memorial. Also in the nearby St Hilda’s church yard there is the Celtic cross which was paid for by the people of Crofton Park. The cross was unveiled in 1920 and commemorates the 144 men and 1 nursing Sister who gave their lives during the “war to end all wars”.

Within St Hilda’s is a memorial to Reginald Mines, who is also commemorated on the Celtic cross and remembered by the people of Lewisham who paid for the Brockley and Ladywell memorial. He died in 1917 and is buried in Northern France.

CSM Mines

Located in St Hilda’s is a memorial to Reginald Mines. It has the following inscription:

To the glory of god and in loving memory of

REGINALD ARTHUR MINES

Company Serjeant Major 17th Royal Fusiliers

Who Fell In Action near La Bassee

June 26th 1917 Aged 26 Years Old

"Faithful Unto Death"

Reginald was born in Mayfair in 1888, the son of Richard James and Ellen Margaret Mines, late of 8, Buckthorne Road, Crofton Park, London.

At the start of the Great War in 1914 the British Army had a reported strength of 710,000 men including reserves, of which around 80,000 were regular troops ready for war. By the end of the Great War almost 1 in 4 of the total male population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland had joined, over five million men. The war began with a massive and unprecedented wave of enthusiasm. At the beginning of August 1914, Parliament issued a call for an extra 500,000 soldiers. The response was overwhelming.

One early peculiarity was the formation of "Pals battalions": groups of men from the same factory, football team, bank, and similar, joining and fighting together. The idea was first suggested at a public meeting by Lord Derby; within three days, he oversaw volunteers sufficient for three battalions. Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War, gave official approval for the measure almost instantly and the response was impressive. Manchester raised fifteen specific 'Pals' battalions; one of the smallest was Accrington.

London raised a number of Royal Fusilier Pals battalions, including Stockbrokers, Bankers and Public Schools Pals. Reginald Mines joined B Company the 17th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Empire) in September 1914. The Empire battalion was raised by a body of gentlemen styled “The British Empire Committee. The desire that drew them together was to assist in the raising of troops. Similarly the Mayor of Kensington raised the 22nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Kensington). These battalions were also known as Service battalions and the men enlisted for three years or the duration, and were treated in all respects as regular soldiers on unique terms of engagement and they were disbanded after the war.

The 17th Battalion was clothed, equipped and barracks provided by the same gentlemen that raised it and located at Warlingham, its first commanding officer was Major G Harland Bownden M.P. The men never forgot the welcome they received at Warlingham, and “Warlingham Crater”, near Givenchy, perpetuated their connection with the pleasant Surrey village.

In June 1915 to they moved Clipstone Camp, Nott’s joining the 99th Brigade, part of the 33rd Division. On the 1st July 1915 the Battalion was taken over by the War Office and moved to Tidworth that August. On 17th November they sailed for Boulogne.

On arrival in France the 17th Battalion transferred with the 99th Brigade to 2nd Division, then to 5th Brigade 2nd Division. The 17th learned its paces where a great number of battalions first took lessons in trench warfare: in the area around the La Bassee Canal.

A section of trench map from the La Bassee sector. British lines were shown in blue on the right, Germans on the left in red. Note the Old Kent Road and Park Lane.

The Somme
The offensive campaign of 1916 - initially conceived by the French Commander-in-Chief to be a war-winning simultaneous strike on three fronts by all Allies with maximum force - came down to a few Divisions of the British Army attacking on ground not of their choosing and where there was no possibility of strategic gain.

The battle of the Somme began on the 1st July 1916 after an artillery bombardment of seven days designed to destroy the German defences. On the majority of the 16 mile front this failed, leading to a terribly costly opening day of the British attack.

The 2nd Division moved to the Somme in July 1916, and the first of its Fusilier Battalions to enter the Battle zone was Reginald’s 17th. It was their first entrance into any battle zone and they took over the support line at Longueval Alley on July 25th. It was not necessary to take part in an offence to sustain casualties, and Lieutenant Richmond was the first to succumb. There was a heavy bombardment with “tear shells” and he was gassed on his first day in the trenches. On the next day the shelling continued and another 15 casualties were suffered.

Before any further eastward attacks on the German second positions could be made it was vital that the whole of Longueval and Delville Wood were captured On Saturday 15 July, as the fighting for Longueval continued, the South African Brigade were tasked with securing Delville Wood. Attacking with great determination at 6.15am they rapidly cleared the southern sector, despite the difficulties posed by tangled undergrowth, fallen trees and shell craters; a second advance took them almost to the wood's north-west edge, where they dug in. The Germans retaliated with ceaseless shelling, machine gun fire, and a succession of aggressive counter-attacks. Fighting continued by night and day as renewed South African assaults wore themselves out against German defences. On 18 July heavy rain and German counter-attacks forced critical withdrawals but it was not until the evening of 20 July, after six days of continuous fighting, that the South Africans were relieved.

Vicious fighting for the wood continued for another six weeks, the advantage continuously changing from one side to the other: 27 July saw the 2nd Division renew the assault with A and B companies of Reginald’s 17th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers going forward to Delville Wood (Devil to the Tommies) in the afternoon, and on this occasion there were 118 casualties. The wood was only completely cleared of Germans following the fall of Ginchy on 9 September 1916.

The 17th Battalion was taken out of the line to rest and refit. Its next major engagement was in the final stages of the battle of the Somme; in what was know as the Battle of the Ancre. This commenced on the 11th November with a two day preliminary bombardment. The infantry went over the top at 05:15 on the 13th November in dense fog, and found the wire insufficiently cut and the ground too sodden. The first objective, the 3rd German line system, was taken by 06:15. The 17th Battalion passed through the assaulting infantry to attack the remaining objectives, the Munich and Frankfort trenches. They received heavy enemy fire and by 10:00 were reduced to a total strength of 180. They managed to penetrate the Munich trench but were unable to hold it. They withdrew, and the Germans counter attacked at 16:30 but were beaten back by artillery support. The 17th lost 187 in this advance.

In strategic terms little ground had been taken during the various battles of the Somme, but the German army had been seriously damaged and the British learned many lessons that would be applied in 1917 and 1918. While the Somme fighting continued and operations on the Ancre went on through the winter, the German army created a formidable new line some miles to the rear and executed a withdrawal to it in March 1917, just in time to upset Allied plans for a new offensive. As British patrols from the 17th Battalion detected that the enemy front line on the Somme had been evacuated, the German withdrawal was pursued. On reaching the new enemy position, they encountered not a trench system, but a veritable fortress: they called it the Hindenburg Line.

Reginald was promoted to Company Serjeant Major (Serjeant is the old British Army
Spelling of Sergeant) or CSM. The CSM was the senior non-commissioned soldier of a company (about 200 men at full ration strength), responsible for standards and discipline.

In combat, his prime responsibility is the supply of ammunition to the company. He also oversees the distribution of other supplies such as water or food, as well as the evacuation of wounded and collection of prisoners of war.

As part of the 2nd Division, the 17th Battalion Royal Fusiliers was now involved in the battle of Arras which lasted from 9th April to 16th May 1917. This was to be one of the most important campaigns in which the British Army was engaged, yet in comparison with the Somme of 1916 and Passchendaele of 1917, overlooked by most by historians. The attack was in co-operation with the French, who were simultaneously embarking on a massive attack (the Nivelle Offensive) about eighty kilometres to the south. The stated aim of this combined operation was to end the war in forty-eight hours.

Initial efforts centred on a relatively broad-based assault between Vimy in the northwest and Bullecourt in the southeast. After considerable bombardment, Canadian troops advancing in the north were able to capture the strategically significant Vimy Ridge, and British divisions in the centre were also able to make significant gains. Only in the south, where British and Australian forces were frustrated by the elastic defence, were the attackers held to minimal gains. Following these initial successes, British forces engaged in a series of small-scale operations to consolidate the newly won positions. Although these battles were generally successful in achieving limited aims, many of them resulted in relatively large numbers of casualties. The 2nd Division was involved in these smaller scale actions, committing four Royal Fusilier battalions, including the 17th, to the attacks around Oppy Wood on the 29th April.

When the battle officially ended on 16 May, British Empire troops had made significant advances, but had been unable to achieve a major breakthrough at any point. Experimental tactics—for instance, the creeping barrage, the graze fuse, and counter-battery fire—had been battle-tested, particularly in the first phase, and had demonstrated that set-piece assaults against heavily fortified positions could be successful. The British had suffered more than 150,000 casualties and gained little ground since the first day. Despite significant early gains, they were unable to affect a breakthrough, and the situation reverted to stalemate.

Reginald’s Battalion was withdrawn for rest and refitting around Bethune. They would then be rotated by battalion to serve in the front line. A general pattern for trench routine was 4 days in the front line, and then 4 days in close reserve and finally 4 at rest, although this varied enormously depending on conditions, the weather and the availability of enough reserve troops to be able to rotate them in this way.
Reginald was killed on the 26th June 1917 near a small town called Beuvry in north eastern France. The battalion was not involved in any major action on that day, but there were up to 300 British Empire casualties on a quiet day on the Western Front.
He was aged 26 and is buried in the Beuvry Communal Cemetery just outside the town.

The British Empire mobilized 8,900,000 men during the Great War; there were 908,000 dead and 2,000,000 wounded. All over the country memorials sprung up, often sponsored by the donations of relatives of the dead. There is a column in Brockley and Ladywell cemetery paid for by the people of Lewisham, and there is the Celtic cross in front of St Hilda’s church which was paid for by the people of Crofton Park. The cross was unveiled in 1920 and commemorates the 144 men, including Reginald Mines, and 1 nursing Sister who gave their lives during the “war to end all wars”.

It was unveiled by General Sir Ian Hamilton, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., D.S.O, and during his speech the General said that “ those boys - they were most of them very young - in whose remembrance a memorial was now to be unveiled, were just their own boys. There was nothing about them to mark them out from their fellows in offices, workshops, factories. They were not a caste apart, soldiers by profession or soldiers of fortune. They were live, free men of Crofton Park and they went on their own. Five million volunteers - that was what no historian would be able to understand.”
"So," concluded the General, "I unveil this Celtic Cross, more glorious as a record of our race than marble Kings and Queens, or even than the Abbey that holds them."

Sources:
The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War – H C O’Neil
The Long Long Trail (http://www.1914-1918.net/ )
Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org/ )
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (http://www.cwgc.org/ )
The National Archive (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ )
St Hilda’s (http://www.croftonpark.com/sainthildas/)

Bramble Clearing Volunteer Workday

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:41:00 +0000

Here are some pictures from the bramble clearing workday on Sunday October 19th. Many thanks to all the volunteers who came down and to Colin for giving up his day of rest to come and supervise us. We cleared a good section of paths, making it easier for people to walk around the cemeteries and to get to graves. We even uncovered a pink marble monument, hitherto covered in thick brambles.

Healthy Brockley event

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:13:00 +0000

Many thanks to all who visited us at the Healthy Brockley event on October 5th.

And thank you also to Caro Swan who sent us these pictures of an Environmental walk through the cemeteries at a previous Healthy Brockley day.

Horatio Henry Couldery: 1832-1918

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:10:00 +0000

Buried in plot no. 1878 of Ladywell Cemetery lies Horatio Henry Couldery. He was one of the best known Victorian painters and the FOBLC has been contacted by his great granddaughter Rosemary James with this account of his life.

Horatio Henry Couldery was born in Lewisham in 1832 and christened at St. Mary’s Lewisham on 23 December 1832. He was the fourth of nine children of Robert Hall Couldery, and Lydia Frances nee Ruegg.

Horatio was originally apprenticed to a cabinet maker but following in his father’s footsteps, he realised his true vocation when, at the age of 23, he entered the Royal Academy Schools. He specialised in painting animals and was nicknamed ’Kitten Couldery’ because of his many feline paintings but he also painted dogs, ducks, pheasants, rabbits, mice and fish. .

He exhibited many of his works at the Royal Academy of Arts in London between 1861 and 1892.. He was a prolific painter and his paintings reflect the typical late Victorian style with dark backgrounds, vignette settings and a real love of animals. His works were often used to illustrated children’s books and many of his paintings more recently have been used on greetings cards.

In 1875 Horatio attracted the attention of the art critic John Ruskin who commented that one of his paintings entitled ’ A Fascinating Tail’ exhibited at The Royal Academy was “ quite the most skilful piece of minute and Dureresque painting in the exhibition, which could not be rightly seen without a lens and unsurpassable in its depiction of kitten meditation".

Glanmore Museum in Belleville, Ontario maintains the largest public collection of his work in the world (about 42 I believe), beautifully restored. I have visited the Museum and it’s a truly wonderful place housed in a Second Empire style building. Do go there if you are in Ontario.

Despite his incredible talent, like many artists in their lifetime he did not become wealthy and when he died he died his estate was valued at £250!
Today his paintings are very valuable and sell for many thousands of pounds

He lived at various places including 50 Rathbone Place W1, 1 Campbell Villas, Lewisham, Maud Villa (where he died) and also Elizabeth Villa in Addington Grove, Sydenham. Sadly the last two places are no longer there.

Rosemary has also researched other relatives including her great great grandfather Robert Hall Couldery. If anyone knows of the Coulderys she would love to hear from them and is happy to provide further information, copies of certificates and photographs.

Commander A W Buckle DSO,RNVR

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:39:00 +0000

Continuing our series on war heroes buried in the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries, David Platt and Michael Martin have written this account of the life of Commander Buckle

Located in the Brockley section of the Cemetery is the headstone of Archibald Walter Buckle. He rose from a private to command the Anson Battalion in the Royal Naval Division (RND). He was the only officer to be awarded the DSO with three bars; he was recommended for the Victoria Cross, was wounded three times and mentioned in dispatches five times. Winston Churchill referred to Buckle as one of the `salamanders born in the furnace,' who survived `to lead, to command, and to preserve the sacred continuity.'

Archibald Buckle, a school teacher by profession, joined the RNVR in 1908, and at the outbreak of war was a Petty Officer. He cut short his honeymoon, returning to London on the 4th August 1914, responding to the call up of Royal Naval reservists. When the mobilisation was completed the Admiralty found it had a huge surplus of Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, this after manning the fleet and shore establishments to maximum capacity. Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, decided to form them into two naval brigades which, together with the Brigade of Marines, would make up the Naval Division. The First Brigade comprised of the battalions Benow, Collingwood, Hawke and Drake; the Second Brigade comprising the battalions of Howe, Hood, Anson and Nelson. Buckle joined the ill fated expedition to defend Antwerp as part of the Drake Battalion, and on his return was he was commissioned as Temporary Sub-Lieutenant in December 1914

The invasion of Turkey through Gallipoli, was the idea of Winston
Churchill, the ultimate aim was to knock the Turks out of the war by threatening their capital, Constantinople. When the attempt to smash the central defences of the Dardanelles by naval means failed on 18 March, a military force was assembled and plans were made to capture the shoreline of the Gallipoli Peninsula and so allow the naval campaign to be resumed. It was decided to use the ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corp), the 29th Division and the RN Division to achieve this, although other Army divisions were added to the fray later in the campaign.

Buckle was promoted to a Lieutenant in March 1915 and transferred to the Anson Battalion, and there followed a trying period for him, but extremely useful to the Division. Draft after draft of officers and men departed for Gallipoli, but time after time Buckle was retained because of his value in the training of officers and men. Like a hound straining at the leash, he longed to take his part in what he felt to be his job in the line and he had many arguments with those in authority in which Buckle was bound to come off second best. It was not until 1916 that his chance came at last and he went to France.

After the evacuation from Gallipoli the Army asked that the Royal Naval Division be disbanded but Parliament refused this request. However, the Army won the right to command the division and in April 1916 transferred the Division from the Admiralty to the War Office (Army). The War Office then decided to transfer the RN Division to the Western Front. It was at this time that the Army re-designated the RN Division the 63rd Division. In addition the
Division’s three brigades were re-designated the 188th, 189th and the 190th.

The 63rd (RN Division) was not immediately committed to the Battle of the Somme that opened on 1 July 1916. The division found itself in a support role up to the beginning of November 1916. However, the division took losses
right from the start of their deployment. During this period the Army attempted to insert control over the RN Division but were resisted by an “esprit-de-corps” that the Army never overcame. The division maintained its traditions, even to the use of ships’ bells, and the men regarded themselves as Naval Service first and foremost, even though they had to wear khaki and carry a rifle instead of being at sea. To bring the RN Division under control the Army Command appointed Major General Shute in 1916 and immediately on his arrival he ordered the RN element to wear Army rank insignia. The RN Division obeyed to the letter and wore the Army rank insignia on one arm and the Navy rank insignia on the other.

On the 13 November 1916 the 63rd (RN) Division was moved along the Ancre River in an attempt to give the lagging Somme offensive another push. On that day the division attacked at Beaumont-Hamel and their losses were fearful, although they did make gains and captured Beaucourt. This offensive continued through to 15 November 1916, by which time the division was exhausted.

The division remained on the Ancre for the remainder of the year and were still there in January 1917 when they were involved in costly operations along the river from 20 January to 27 February 1917. Buckle was involved in these struggles on the Somme, and in one incident his “old Burberry which he was wearing was riddled by bullets, and he sustained not a scratch”. In March 1917 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

In April 1917 the 189th and 190th Brigades went into action around Gavrelle in the Battle of Arras. Buckle again proved his worth and firmly established his position as a redoubtable military leader. It was noted “How well one remembers his coolness in organising the men when practically every officer had been lost.” Although Buckle's prowess was recommended for recognition during this engagement, he did not receive any honours, although his undoubted gift for leadership was displayed, and this laid the foundations for his future promotion and success. The division experienced heavy losses around Gavrelle and spent the next months on this sector defending the gains made.

The Division was transferred to Belgium in preparation for the next big push which was the Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele Between 26th October to 5th November 1917 the RN Division was committed to the battle. When Third Ypres had run its course the RN Division were transferred to the Cambrai sector to refit for another deployment to the Ypres front. When the division was there the Cambrai front imploded and the RN Division was sent forward to help normalise the situation. It was here they experienced heavy losses.

When 1918 began the Germans were back behind the Hindenburg Line and had soaked up everything the Allied High Command had thrown at them except for a salient punched through their lines at Cambrai. In March 1918 Buckle was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, DSO. This was a high award for meritorious or distinguished service rather than an act of gallantry, although in many cases during 1914-1918 it is not easy to discriminate between these two reasons for granting an award; in fact in some cases it appears that a DSO was awarded when perhaps a full recommendation for a VC could not be justified or corroborated.

The RN Division was still up on the Cambrai Sector in March
1918 when the front collapsed when the Germans launched their Spring
Offensive. The offensive carried all before it but it met heavy resistance all
the way. The RN Division battalions were present at the bitter defences of St-
Quentin and First Bapaume. Finally the RN Division found itself back on the
Ancre River on 5 April 1918, where they had been more than a year before,
and defending that line against the massive assaults made by the German
forces.

Buckle won the 1st of his three Bars for this DSO. The London Gazzette citation reads:

T./Lt.-Cmdr. Archibald . Walter Buckle,
D.S.O., R.N.D., R.N.V.R.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a battalion. He
repelled the enemy's attack, organised a counter-attack, and drove the enemy com-
' pletely out of the menaced area. It was largely due to his courage, initiative and
leadership that this important success was obtained.

The German attack faltered in front of Albert. The RN Division were in the Battle of Albert (21-23 August 1918) and Second Arras (26th August to 3rd September 1918) that turned the tide against the Germans and it was from here that the period of the war called the Advance to Victory began. In August Buckle won this second Bar:

AWARDED A SECOND BAB TO DISTINGUISHED SERVICE OBDEB.
T./Comdr. Archibald Walter Buckle,D.S.O., Anson Bn., R.N.D., R.N.V.R.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When the progress of the brigade at
a critical moment was checked by machinegun fire, he went forward himself with his
battalion staff, reorganised his battalion and led it forward on to commanding ground,
seriously threatening the enemy's retreat. The success of the operation was largely due
to his courage and fine leadership.

The RN Division was in action at the battle and subsequent crossing of the Canal du Nord between 27 September and 1 October 1918 and the division captured Niergnies, near Cambrai, on 8 October 1918, where Buckle won his third Bar. The enemy counter-attacked in force, seven captured British tanks were moving forward against the British line. For a time the situation was doubtful, but Commander Buckle and Commander Pollock (of the Hood Battalion) restored the situation, each personally putting one tank out of action, by turning on it a captured anti-tank rifle and a captured field gun respectively.

Commander A W Buckle, DSO, RNVR : 1919

Three weeks before Easter 1927 he scratched his arm while mending a car. The injury turned into a boil and despite being hospitalized (against his will) it turned septic and ‘eventually the poison crept into his old war wounds and his bones.’ He died aged just 38, on 6 May 1927.

Full military honours were accorded the deceased hero, the coffin being conveyed from the house in 33 Crescent-way, Brockley, to the Church on a gun carriage drawn by six horses with outriders. The coffin which was covered with the Union Jack also bore the Commander's sword and five medals. A number of the deceased's comrades in the Anson Battalion walked beside the coffin and the boys of the Rotherhithe Nautical School, where he was Headmaster formed a guard of honour in the church grounds.

A friend said he “sometimes appeared staccato and abrupt, not over tactful to outside appearances. But it was a tactlessness born of a love of directness, hatred of pretence or of veneer. For to Buckle sham of any sort was like a red rag to a bull, and second as a provocative only to injustice.”

His medals are in the keeping of the IWM

Sources:
The National Archive (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ )
Imperial War Museum (http://london.iwm.org.uk/)
The London Gazette ( http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ )
Naval Forces and Merchant Navy War Graves (www.rnmnwargraves.org.uk/ )

Some of the Cemeteries' abundant insect life

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Thanks to Bob Clark for these wonderful pictures

Gordonbrock Carnival

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:47:00 +0000

The FOBLC had a stall at the Gordonbrock Carnival on Saturday. Many thanks to all those who stopped by and to those who joined our fast growing membership.

ANNUAL REPORT TO AGM OF FRIENDS of BROCKLEY AND LADYWELL CEMETERIES JUNE 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:06:00 +0000

The very first meeting of the group called Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries took place on 11th July 2007. Its Constitution was adopted on 16th October 2007, and its bank account established in March 2008.
The Friends group is made up of people with varied interests in the two Cemeteries, including grave plots, war graves and memorials, history, flora, fauna and bio-diversity, and a general interest in one of the “green lungs” of Lewisham Borough and London as a whole.
At the end of March 2008, the mailing list stood at 49 names, 13 of which were paid up members of the Friends.

The group launched itself into a flurry of activity, initially meeting every month in order to establish the constitution, and the work that the group would be doing.
For Healthy Brockley in September, the Dissenters’ Chapel was opened for a display of photographs taken within the Cemeteries, with a guided walk exploring the flora and fauna. Cemeteries’ Manager, Colin Burgess, was on hand to assist visitors with the location of graves and memorials.
Two “walkabouts” have been carried out to gain an overview of the different aspects of the Cemeteries, to assess the work that needed to be done, and to start to work out a management plan. This is to assist the cemeteries’ management in its cutting and management regime. This work will be ongoing, based on the 1995 survey by Nick Bertrand, and is expected to lead to a professional evaluation for which funds will have to be raised.
Two “work days” have taken place. The first was a litter-pick on Remembrance Sunday. The second in February, to remove invasive saplings, provoked negative public comments as the Cemeteries are in the recently-extended Brockley Conservation Area. Some people felt that the removal of any flora was detrimental to the Cemeteries and its wildlife. A Conservation Area Planning Application relating to the removal of invasive species of tree and other plants was submitted by the Council Officer responsible for Crematoria and Cemeteries, Shirley Bishop, to the Council’s Planning Office. A committee of councillors approved that application, so that future work can now take place without further planning permission. Of course, any future work planned by the Friends will take place only in close liaison with the Cemeteries’ management.

The Council’s Bio-diversity and Ecology Officer, Nick Pond, gave an informative talk to the group, both about his work and the challenges which lie ahead in the management of a working cemetery and a recognised Grade One Nature Conservation site.

The Friends successfully applied to the Council Localities’ Fund for a grant for noticeboards. These are to advertise the existence and work of the Group, and will be placed at the two main entrances to the Cemeteries. Initial research showed that perhaps the most suitable type of boards were outside the budget of £1000. Research is continuing, with any installation being dependant on a granting of Conservation Area planning permission.

A website and lively blogspot has been quickly established, managed by Patrick Napier, giving the public and members ready access to photographs and news. Several contacts have already been made by this means.

I would like to thank members for their enthusiasm in the still early days of this Friends group; also to Jeff Hart, the Co-ordinator of Friends Of Nunhead Cemetery for his help and guidance, and to Nick Pond for his advice; also to Colin Burgess and Shirley Bishop, the Council Officers responsible for the Cemeteries for their co-operation both in the past year, and looking to the future; and to Cllrs. Sue Luxton and Mike Keogh for being the catalysts for the establishment of the Friends group, and for their continuing support.

Geoffrey Thurley
Chair

Our first ever AGM

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:36:00 +0000

The Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries are nearly a year old and are delighted to be having our first AGM on June 17th.

The meeting will be held at 7.30pm at the Brockley Grove Depot, Brockley Grove,
opposite Crofton Park Baptist Church/ Huxbear Street, London SE4.

To see the Agenda click here

Ernest Dowson Contemporary Art Project

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Six degrees of decadence: 31^st May - 7^th June 2008

Throughout the week of Brockley Max, Jam Circus will play host to Six degrees of decadence a new digital-based art project based on the life and works of the Poet Ernest Dowson which playfully explores ideas of connection, truth, history and technology.

Dowson was an English poet, novelist and writer of short stories associated with the Decadent movement and is buried in Brockley Cemetery just a few hundred yards from there. As a contributor to the 'Yellow Book' and 'Savoy' magazines of the 1890s and a member of the Rhymers' Club, he worked and socialised with better-known contemporaries such as Oscar Wilde and WB Yeats, and the artist Aubrey Beardsley, who illustrated several of Dowson's works. Despite such renowned acquaintances Dowson's own life mirrored Yeats' idea of 'the tragic generation' - destined for failure and in many cases early death - with Dowson dying penniless in 1900, aged 32.

The larger part of Dowson's life and works remain unknown to most people, however both he and his writing inspired many other people, words and works. This is the starting point of Six degrees of decadence.

Throughout the week they will trace some of the associations and influences of Dowson using the password for Jam Circus' wireless network. Each day the password will be changed to reveal a another Dowson connection. By logging onto the wireless network there you will be taking part in a collaboration that ultimately produces a new visual artwork; specific to Jam Circus, the week and the amount of time that you spend connected to the network. As with Dowson, what you choose to use the network for remains invisible to people, but the time you spend connected will impact upon the final work.

This is the first off-site art project of Tea Leaf Arts and the start of a series of commissions and public artworks that aims to engage broader audiences in the making, understanding and enjoyment of contemporary art using everyday technologies and places.

FOBLC stall at Nunhead Cemetery Open Day

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:58:00 +0000

The FOBLC had a stall at the Nunhead Open Day on Sunday, and was successful in gaining new members as well as creating awareness of our new group.

Ernest Dowson

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:14:00 +0000

FOBLC member Mike Guilfoyle is campaigning to get Lewisham council to recognise one of its most remarkable residents by naming a street after Ernest Dowson. Here Mike writes about the 'decadent' poet who lies buried in the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries, with a bottle of absinthe by his grave to keep him company.

One of the most pleasurable spin-offs of having recently joined FOBLC was stumbling upon two of author Jad Adams books, one on the life & times of Victorian poet and writer, Ernest Dowson ( born Lee 1867- died Catford1900) 'Madder Music, Stronger Wine' and 'Hideous Absinthe' a biography of the 'Green Fairy' ( as Absinthe is popularly known). Ernest Dowson is buried in the cemetery, and was noted for his fondness for the drink. 'Indeed his racy observation, that 'absinthe makes the tart grow fonder' perhaps says something of why he was referred to as one of the 'decadent poets'. Being a depressive alcoholic laid low by consumption certainly appears to have resulted in his tragically early death aged 33 years. His other timeless but most quoted and borrowed lyrics, include' 'gone with the wind', days of wine and roses' and 'a stranger in a strange land'. He is even attributed as having coined the first known reference to 'soccer' ( socca). He was one of the very few friends who stood by the ailing playwright, Oscar Wilde, then living in exile in Paris. Jad Adams concluding line in his sympathetic biography is ' life presented him with suffering, and he returned it with beauty'. I was shocked to discover that within the borough , no existing street names as yet memorialise or celebrate his name. Although I have been assured via the Council that when new Lewisham street names are being researched that this situation might change. Ernest Dowson deserves to be better known today. Lets hope that this 'Morrissey' of his day is at least in the running for posthumous recognition, as one of the finest poets of the romantic late Victorian period.

Unseasonal snow covers the cemeteries on April 6th

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Major Leslie Andrews

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:22:00 +0000

During the recent volunteer work day clearing up invasive saplings, two FOBLC members, David Platt and Michael Martin, who both have a deep interest in the Great War and the graves of the soldiers who fought in it, literally stumbled upon a grave covered in ivy.

Uncovering it they found the following inscription which they researched to find this fascinating and heroic story:

Leslie Earnest Andrews joined the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, probably in June 1915 when the 10^th Battalion was formed as a response to Lord Kitchener’s appeal for volunteers. Leslie had been a private in the Officer train Corps, and joined the Royal West Surrey’s as a 2^nd Lieutenant.

The Queen’s Royal West Surrey regiment was originally the 2^nd Regiment of Foot, and was

renamed by Charles II in honour of this wife

Catherine of Braganza, “our dearest consort, the

Queen’s Regiment.”

The 10^th (service) Battalion was formed at Battersea on 3 June 1915 by the Mayor and Borough of Battersea. It was attached to the 124th Brigade, 41st Division, which was formed in September 1915, and was part of the Fifth New Army, K5.

Most of its units had also been locally raised, often by the Mayor or Borough Councils. The Division moved to France by 6th May 1916 and became a highly dependable fighting unit.

All units were concentrated near Steenwerck, and the Division began familiarisation with trench warfare in the areas of Ploegsteert and the Douve valley, south of Ypres, Belgium, where it remained until August 1916. The Division then moved south to take part in the latter stages of the Battle of the Somme.

The Division was involved in the first ever attack with tanks on 15 September (the Battles of Flers-Courcelette). The Division remained in the line, pushing on to Courcelette over the next few days before coming out for a rest and re-fit. They went back into the line in October 1916 taking part in the Battles of Le Transloy and Ancre Heights fighting in terrible weather in an attempt to reach higher and drier ground.

Leslie Andrews was promoted to Captain at some point between June 1916 and May 1917. He would have been in command of a Company, which would have consisted of 225 heads at full establishment. The body of the Company was divided into 4 Platoons, each of which was commanded by a subaltern (a Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant). In total, the 4 Platoons consisted of 8 Sergeants, 10 Corporals, 4 Drummers, 4 Batmen and 188 Privates, plus Company HQ. He would have been aged 22 years old.

Some time between May and June 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross (MC). Instituted in 1914, the Military Cross was issued for gallantry in presence of the enemy to warrant and junior officers of the Army.

On 7 June 1917 the 41^st Division was involved in the Battle of Messines. The target of the offensive was a ridge running north from Messines village past Wytschaete village which created a natural stronghold southeast of Ypres. One of the key features of the battle was the detonation of 19 mines immediately prior to the infantry assault, a tactic which disrupted German defences and allowed the advancing troops to secure their objectives in rapid fashion. The attack was also a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele, which began on 31 July 1917.

Passchendaele lasted from 31st July to 6th November 1917. At some point during this time Leslie Andrews won a Bar, or second award of, his MC. He was “Gazetted” in September 1917 ( Gazetted means his award was published in the London Gazette, as were all military awards and promotions, and still are).

The London Gazette of 9th January 1918 lists the citation as:

“T./Capt. (A./Maj.) Leslie Ernest Andrews,

M.C., R.W. Surr. R.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to

duty. After his Commanding Officer had

been wounded, he took command of his

•Battalion and displayed great skill and determination,

in controlling the men under

very trying conditions. He was continually

in the front line, and by his total disregard

for danger set a splendid example to his

men, personally encouraging them and holding

them together under intense enemy bombardments.”

As a result of the above action Leslie Andrews was promoted to acting Major, in command of the 10^th Battalion. At full strength this Battalion would have consisted of up to 1000 men.

British losses during the period 31^st July to 6^th November 1917 were reported to the Supreme War Council on 25^th February 1918. The figures used at that time were 244,897 killed, wounded, missing and sick. This includes casualties of German air raids behind the fighting zone.

German casualties have never been reported in detail. The British Official History speculates that enemy losses were about 400,000.

Major Leslie Andrews was killed in action on 20^th September 1917 aged 24, on the Menin Road. He has no known grave. His name is recorded on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, which is located on the battlefield and which bears the names of some 35,000 of those who died and who have no known grave.

Sources:

The Long Long Trail (http://www.1914-1918.net/ )

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (http://www.cwgc.org/ )

The National Archive (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ )

The Victoria Cross Organisation (http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ )

The Queen’s Royal West Surrey’s (http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/)

Next FOBLC meeting Tuesday 18th March

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:28:00 +0000

The next FOBLC meeting will be on 7.30pm Tuesday 18th March at the Envirowork Centre, Brockley Grove Depot, (opposite Baptist Church).

All are most welcome to attend

Photos of the clearing of invasive saplings - many thanks to all those who attended

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:23:00 +0000

Volunteer Day Sunday 17th February 10am to 3pm

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:51:00 +0000

Come to all or part of the day to help eradicate self seeded ashes, turkey oaks and sycamores that threaten the meadow habitats which support rare animals. Wear suitable clothes and bring your own tools if you want.

Refreshments provided.

ALL WELCOME!! Children not advised as trees being felled, sorry.

Meet and work near Dissenters Chapel, (near Ladywell Road end)

Spring is in the air!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:37:00 +0000

and here are some photos from FOBLC Treasurer and keen naturalist Bob Clark to pro ve it

SE4 Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:52:00 +0000

Check out the February issue of SE4 Magazine for a feature about the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries and the FOBLC.

If you live in SE4 a copy will just have dropped through your letterbox otherwise go to http://www.se4magazine.co.uk to see where it is available

Commemorations from the First World War: the story of the Buddells

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:51:00 +0000

The Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries contain several monuments dedicated to the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen who were killed in the First World War. Those fallen in service are also commemorated in many of the family graves and two FOBLC members, David Platt and Michael Martin, have been researching this and uncovered the fascinating story of one family, the Buddells.

Early in 1915 it was decided by the British Government that it would be impossible to return all the dead from the Great War to Britain for burial. As result it became policy to not return any and that they were to be interred where they fell with their comrades. This presented problems to the families of the dead buried abroad after the war. While today it is relatively easy to visit the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium, in the 1920’s it was only the very rich who could afford to do this, unlike in America, there was no financial support offered to relatives to make these visits. The old battlefields also lacked accessibility and accommodation for the hundreds of thousands of mourners that would have liked to visit until they were finally cleared in the mid 1930’s.

It seems that, in England at least, it became common practise for families to commemorate their fallen husbands and sons on their own family graves and tombs. This took two forms; either a small monument added to an existing family grave of a relative, usually the mother or father, when one of the parents died an inscription was added to their headstone. On closer inspection of headstones of burials from the 1920’s you can find many of these inscriptions. When these dedications were new and easy to see, before weathering and nature began to reclaim these graves, it must have been a stark and startling reminder of the scale of the conflict and sacrifice of these men and their families.

Some of these inscriptions contain enough detail to build up a picture of what was involved and make it possible to relate to some of the suffering the families had to endure. Others merely give a name and country and we are left to fill in the gaps with our imagination.

The Buddells

Located in the Ladywell section of the Cemetery is the headstone of William and Elizabeth Buddell. It contains the following inscription:

Henry and Elizabeth Ann Buddell lived at 52 Garthorne Road Forest Hill. According to the headstone they had three sons who served and died during or shortly after the Great War.

Frank Buddell is recorded in the inscription as Company Quarter Master Serjeant of the 10th Royal West Kent Regiment (Serjeant is the old British Army spelling of Sergeant). The Company Quartermaster Serjeant (CQMS) in the British Army is the non-commissioned officer in a company who is in charge of supplies. The National Archive lists Frank as Colour Sergeant. Historically, Colour Sergeants of British line regiments were tasked with protecting Ensigns, the most junior officers who were responsible for carrying their battalions' Colours (flag or insignia) to rally troops in battles. For this reason the Colour Sergeant rank was considered a prestigious one given normally to courageous Sergeants who had attained accomplishments in battles. This tradition continues today as Colour Sergeants form part of a Colour Party in military parades.

In July 1915 the 10^th Royal West Kent Regiment was attached to 118th Brigade, 39th Division. In October 1915 they were transferred to 123rd Brigade, 41st Division

The 41st Division was withdrawn after the First Battle of Arras, 1918 (fourth phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918), and sent north to Flanders where it held a sector near Ypres that was, for once, relatively quiet. Nonetheless, the average casualty rate for the British and Commonwealth forces during the Great War was around three hundred per day when not involved in a major offensive.

Frank Buddell was killed in action 24^th May 1918 aged 30. He is buried at Brandhoek, Belgium.

William Henry Buddell was a Lieutenant in the 26^th Battalion New Brunswick Regiment. Henry is listed on the Commonwealth War Graves database as Canadian, and this was a Canadian regiment. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, or DCM which was instigated by the British Army as a means of recognising acts of gallantry performed by ther ranks' (i.e. non-commissioned officers) during the Crimean War in 1854; the Distinguished Conduct Medal was regarded as second only to the Victoria Cross in prestige. Acting upon the belief that during the Great War that the overwhelming demand for medals would devalue the prestige of those already available, the Military Medal was issued as an alternative to the Distinguished Conduct Medal from March 1916. Given that William is listed as a Lieutenant this implies that he joined as an enlisted man prior to 1916. The National Archive Medal Card lists him as a Serjeant Major, Canadian Infantry.

He was appointed Battalion Adjutant on the 13th January 1919. The Battalion war diary shows that he was admitted to hospital on the 30th January 1919 with sickness. He died on the 2^nd March. His funeral took place with full military honours at Tamines, Belgium, on the 4th February.

It is likely that William died of Spanish Flu, a pandemic that lasted from March 1918 to June 1920; current estimates are that between 50 million to 100 million people worldwide died, possibly more than that taken by the Black Death. This extraordinary toll resulted from the extremely high infection rate of up to 50% and the severity of the symptoms. People without symptoms could be struck suddenly and within hours be too feeble to walk; many died the next day. Symptoms included a blue tint to the face and coughing up blood caused by severe obstruction of the lungs. In some cases, the virus caused an uncontrollable hemorrhaging that filled the lungs, and patients drowned in their body fluids.

Albert Sidney Buddell was a member of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC). This was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery; administration of barracks; the Army Fire Service; and provision of staff clerks to headquarters units They were not responsible for ammunition and military and technical equipment, which were the responsibility of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps..

In 1918 the corps received the "Royal" prefix for its service in the Great War and became the Royal Army Service Corps.

Albert is listed in the National Archive as a private and has a medal card. He died on the 21^st February 1925 “As a Result of war service”

The British Empire mobilized 8,900,000 men during the Great War. There were 908,000 dead and 2,000,000 wounded. Albert died of his wounds over six years after the war ended in Europe.

William Henry Buddell died in 1935 aged 76, his wife Elizabeth Ann Buddell two years later in 1937 aged 78 having seen three sons die as a result of the war.

The true story of Jane Clouson, by her cousin

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:32:00 +0000

One of the most interesting graves in the Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries is that of Jane Clouson, a 17 year old girl whose murder in 1871 aroused great controversy in Victorian London.

The FOBLC has been contacted by her surviving cousin John Hancock, who has written this moving account of her tragic tale.

The Eltham Murder 1871

Jane Maria Clouson, daughter of James and Jane Clouson (formerly Hancock) was born in April 1854 in Deptford. She had one older sister called Sarah who died of consumption in 1863 and one younger sister called Maria. Jane’s mother died when she was 13.

At the age of 14, Jane began working as a servant/maid for Ebenezer Pook, who owned a printing business with connections to The Times of London. Pook had a number of children, one being only 3 years older than Jane. His name was Edmund Walter Pook. He said that he suffered from ‘fits’ and could not be left alone. He also claimed to be a music hall entertainer.

At some point Edmund began having a secret affair with Jane.

Early in 1871, probably early April, Jane was dismissed from the service of the Pook family, for reasons of being lazy and generally unpleasant. This would have been a shock to anyone who knew Jane because she had a reputation for being quite the opposite.

Jane was dismissed from service because Edmunds parents had found out about the affair, and, as one of Ebenezer’s other children had already ‘married below his station’ it would not have been fitting for another child to be seen in the same position.

Jane had gone to live with her Aunt Elizabeth Trott (formerly Hancock) and her daughter Charlotte.

Letters were sent back and forth between Jane and Edmund. In one of these letters Jane told Edmund she was pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, neither Jane nor Edmund kept the letters.

Edmund arranged to meet Jane near Blackheath. Jane had conversations with her Aunt and Cousin in which she said that Edmund was going to whisk her away and make an honest woman of her.

On April 25^th 1871 Jane was discovered by a policeman, on Kidbrooke Lane, near-death; having been severely beaten. She managed to say the words “Edmund Pook” and “Oh let me die” before passing out. She was rushed to Guy’s Hospital but never regained consciousness.

Jane died on April 30^th, two days after her 17^th birthday.

A hammer was found, covered in blood about 1 mile from where Jane was found, and the shop that sold the hammer was quickly discovered with the shop owner identifying Pook as the man who had purchased it.

A man matching Pook’s description was seen fleeing Kidbrooke Lane. Police interviewed Edmund, who simply stated he was somewhere else and offered the Police the name of a person but the Police declined his offer. He then stated he wasn’t with anyone else, but he was running home, alone, because he felt a fit coming on. When asked about the clothing he wore on the night, it matched the description. The blood on the clothes was ruled out as being from biting his tongue during the fit. It did seem like a lot of blood for a tongue bite.

The case went to coroner’s trial first, and Edmund was found guilty of the wilful murder of Jane. This was then rushed through to the Central Criminal Court at The Old Bailey.

What followed was a farce. First, the judge ordered that Jane’s last words, in which she identified Pook, were inadmissible as they were hearsay. Secondly, the judge chastised the police, saying that they were after a quick arrest and hounded Pook with no real evidence.

Pook was found not guilty.

Public unrest followed. It was obvious to most people at the time that class was what helped Pook get off.

A pamphlet was written which identified Pook as the killer. Edmund hired one Henry Pook, apparently no relation to him, to prosecute for slander.

This was a bad move on Edmund’s part because during the civil trial he had no choice but to answer questions that in the criminal trial were not allowed. Everything pointed to him being the murderer. Nevertheless Pook was awarded £50 in damages.

A committee was formed; part of their role was to raise the money to pay Edmund Pook the £50.

The funeral was a huge event. The road between Elizabeth Trott’s house in Deptford and the cemetery was lined with thousands of people. So many, that the police came out in force to control the crowds. Jane’s body was transferred by horse-drawn carriage. Many people threw flowers onto the carriage and in the path of the horses.

Unusually, the pall bearers were all woman dressed in maids uniforms. Jane was laid to rest on a plot of land not far from the place where her mother and older sister lie. This land was given by the local council.

The committee formed to raise the money for damages also raised money to have a statue erected on her grave in Jane’s memory.

Written by John Hancock

(Jane Clouson’s 1^st Cousin, 4x removed)

Newspaper illustrations of Jane Clouson murder from The Times of London archive

Meeting reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:12:00 +0000

The next (6^th) Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries meeting will be held on Tuesday 15^th January 2008, 7.30pm at the Envirowork Brockley Grove Depot, (opposite Baptist Church)

Hope to see you there!

Database of Brockley & Ladywell gravestones and inscriptions now online

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:41:00 +0000

The North West Kent Family History Society has just this week added a large database of memorial inscriptions from the gravestones at Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries to their website. Although some of the data has been available for some years, this is the first time that the entire database as originally recorded has been made available for searching.

They have added a transcript of some 13,700 gravestones with the names of nearly 37,000 individuals buried there - you can find the introductory page to these at:

www.nwkfhs.org.uk/ladywell.htm