BROMLEAGE THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BOROUGH LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

No. 4/94 AUGUST 1994

Here we are at the start of our twenty first season. Your new membership card and programme is enclosed and you will see that our Programme Secretary has once again managed to arrange an interesting selection of talks which I am sure you will enjoy. The first one is on Tuesday October 4th and we hope you will be able to come along to set the season off to a good start.

An extra event not included on your programme is a tour of cemetery which will be on Sunday 11th September. The tour will be conducted by Mr Castle the local florist and nurseryman whose business is right opposite the cemetery. As the tour is on a Sunday the main gates will not be open so cars will have to be parked outside the cemetery but this should not present any difficulties. Walk through the cemetery to the car park which is just past the crematorium, from where we will be starting at 3.00 p.m. Please wear stout sensible shoes.

For our last meeting on July 5th Mr Andrew Scott, the Ecologist for the Corporation of Kent and Surrey Commons Office, gave a most interesting talk and slide display on the history of Common and Spring Park. As a follow up to this talk there will be an organised walk across West Wickham Common on Sunday October 2nd at 2.0 p.m. See your programme for full details.

EXCAVATIONS AT SCADBURY MOATED MANOR,

On Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September the archaeological excavations at the medieval moated manor site at Scadbury will be open to the public. Members of the & District Archaeological Society (ODAS) will give guilded tours, showing the work that is currently being done on the site as well as the remains of the foundations of the buildings associated with the Walsingham family and unlike many similar moated sites the island is still completely surrounded by water.

Guided tours will be given at 15 minute intervals throughout both afternoons, the first at 2.00 p.m. and the last at 4.30 p.m. There will also be a slide show, refreshments, and bookstall.

Admission is free. Limited car parking is available close to the site, by ticket only, for which application should be made (enclosing s.a.e. and stating for which day required) to: Mr M. Meekums, 27 Eynsford Close, , BR5 1DP

HOME GUARD

On page 27 of our April Newsletter we asked for help regarding the use of the hut at the 'Bird in Hand' public house at . George and Alan Church have now written to say that Mr Shoesmith, the Secretary of the Bromley Kent Home Guard Association phoned them to say that he could confirm the Old Hut was used by the Home Guard during the last war and again between 1952

43 and 1956. Mr Shoesmith also told them that the Home Guard would be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Standing Down during November. Further details about this will be issued in our next newsletter.

ANOTHER WEST WICKHAM CONTRIBUTION from Joyce Walker

"OLD MARY ACCOUNT"

Among the records held at St. John the Baptist church, West Wickham are the Poor Rate account books dating from the mid 18th century onwards. Since Tudor times every parish had been responsible for its own poor, and so vestry officials levied annually a rate sufficient to meet local needs. These account books give a vivid insight into life at the bottom layer of society and just how wars and economic crises affected the level and range of assistance given. Overseers of the Poor, appointed annually from the vestry, administered the funds and kept the accounts. Very often their style and command of English reflected their own characters. Take, for instance, James Alexander, landlord of the Kings Arms, and Overseer of the Poor when 'Dame' Mary Townsend, a pauper, died. During her final years she had been given a weekly allowance of three shillings, items of clothes and other necessaries. It fell to James Alexander to produce the final accounts concerning Mary Townsend -

"Old Mary Account £ s d

Paid for a coffin 10 6 Charges 1 6 Paid Mr. Bargrove his Bill for finding old Mary a nurse and other things before she Diye 1 4 9 1/2 Paid for Burial of old Mary 6 0 Paid the Clark the fees 4 3 Paid for Beer for the men that carried her to Church and other charges 4 0

2 11 0 1/2

Sold old Mary close for 3 7 0

Paid out of it 2 11 0 1/2

16 0

So "Old Mary's" legacy of sixteen shillings was paid into the funds. "Old Mary" suggests an affectionate term - not so in the burial registers where she was entered as "Townsend - buried 26 April 1787"

NEW BOOKS AT LOCAL STUDIES LIBRARY

With the co-operation of Llinos Thomas at the library we hope to make this a regular feature in the newsletter so that you will know as soon as new books and information are available

44 Never Been Here Before? by Jane Cox This is written for the complete beginner in family history or anyone who finds visiting the Public Record Office a worry! Starting off with a simple introduction to finding your way around and getting a reader’s ticket. The book provides tips for short cuts, it aims to help you have fun finding out about your family in the vast archive of the British government.

Southern League Football - the post war years by Paul Harrison A book for all enthusiasts, [are there any out there!] of the Southern League. It follows each season including newspaper reports, memories and photographs..

Dating Old Photographs by Robert Pols Photographs form an important and treasured part of many a family archive. This book is a good introduction to how to exploit your collection, exploring the early history of photography, how to date your photos and moves on to copying of early photographs.

Inn of the Few by Kath Preston Kath Preston was the landlady of 'The White Hart1 at Brasted which was a haven for the men of RAF . Inn o f the Few shows us something of the life at 'The White Hart' and of the men who crossed its threshold .

The History of Bromley Road School 1818 - 1993 by Mary Jane Roberts The construction of Bromley Road school commenced on April 20th 1818. Six months later the school opened with Mr Thomas Pritchett as master and his eldest daughter as mistress. The Pamphlet traces the school from its beginnings until August 1993 when the then headmistress, Mrs Mitchell, left to take up a headship at Crofton Infants School.

Trinity Presbyterian Church 1875 - 1970 This pamphlet, though produced in 1971, has only recently been donated to the collection. In June 1895 the memorial stone of the church was laid and a dedication service conducted by the Rev. D.Mactwan. Biographic information on the ministers are provided as well as a brief history of the church.

A large number of'family history* reference books, such as Records o f the Militia from 1757 and the new edition of Quarter Sessions Records have already been added to the collection.

PENGE & GROUP

On Wednesday 13th July Mr A. Hills talked to us about his career with the Beckenham Fire Brigade and told of some of the characters with whom he had worked.

We were on that occasion still able to use the Urban Studies Centre but future use of this venue was very doubtful so in order to have a more settled meeting point we are transferring to the Methodist Church Hall in Bevington Road, Beckenham. This will not be quite as convenient to some of you, but more so to others. Bevington Road is just past the Public Hall so a 227 bus to St. George's Church will set you down very near the hall. There is a public car park at the back of Bromley Road school and this again is very close to the venue. The hall will be larger than the one at the Centre and we shall still be able to supply our normal refreshments. It will certainly be good to know that we have a secure meeting place for our future meetings. We shall still meet at 2.30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of September, November, January, March, May, and July, our next meeting being on

45 September 14th when Leslie Stevens will talk to us about photography of local history. Leslie has lived in the area since 1935 and I am sure will show us some very interesting views.

Meeting only every other month means we are not getting a great deal of research done as a group. Having a speaker each time is very interesting and informative but I feel that we, as a group, should be producing some interesting pieces ourselves. Would any of you like to tackle some history either on your own or in a small group? If you didn't wish to speak in public yourself I would be willing to type up and duplicate your notes so that we could all share the results of your labours. There have been many prominent people in the and Beckenham area but not a lot has been written about them, and most of the local churches have very sketchy histories which I am sure we could improve on. I don't think any of us has the time to do hours of research on such matters but if we all did a little and made a joint collection it would go a long way to increasing our knowledge of local history. Think about this before our next meeting when we could perhaps discuss it further.

BADGES

Several members were sporting the Society's badge at the July meeting and Countryside Day. For those of you who have not yet bought theirs they will be on sale from Don Frisby at our October meeting, price £1.50 each.

BROMLEY LIBRARY

In December the Bromley Library will celebrate its centenary. The Public Libraries Act was adopted by the town in 1892, and in December 1894 the Bromley Public Library was established in an annexe of the Science and Art Building in Tweedy Road, where it remained until 1903. The library intends to commemmorate the event but at the moment final details are not available.. Hopefully we will be able to give you all the information in our next newsletter.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

I have recently been lent the Minute Book of the Crystal Palace Football League from its formation up to 1924.

This football league for Elementary Schools was started on Monday 30th August 1909 at a meeting held in the Deaf School, Versailles Road, . Matches were on a league basis of 12 games during a season, usually on a Saturday morning with play being half an hour each way. Two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw. It was not a very large league since there were few elementary schools in the Beckenham and Penge area but the following schools joined, although there were never more than seven in any one season:-

North Surrey District Schools Churchfields School St. John's School St. James' s School Bromley Road School Oakfield Road School Anerley Deaf School Balgowan School Melvin Road School St. Anthony’s School Alexandra School Teachers' Orphanage (Westwood)

Subscriptions were half a crown per for each school and this remained the same for the whole period covered by the book.

46 In his report at the end of the second season Mr B.A.Roberts,the Chairman, said "The lads showed plenty of keenness also a keen sense of sportsmanlike qualities. It is the chief aim of the League to develope and maintain these qualities which are, we believe, a national characteristic - a characteristic well worth cultivating. It is to be hoped that the formation of such a League as ours will cause more and more of our pupils to play football and thereby improve their stamina."

The League successfully applied to be affiliated to the English Schools Football Association in the 1913-14 season. The Chairman in his report that year said "This season we have taken a place in a wider field, and by joining the English Schools Association, have qualified for competing against the cream of English School football teams, and though defeated in our initial effort, we were not disgraced, and certainly gained valuable experience for the future.".

Unfortunately the League could not operate during the years of W.W.I and it was not until 1920 that it was resurrected. One of the first games then to be played was Beckenham Schools (Bromley Rd and Alexandra) against The Rest (Anerley Deaf School, St. John's and the Teachers' Orphanage). This match was played at Churchfields Recreation Ground. Soon after this a team from the Crystal Palace District Football League played against a team from the Bromley Schools League. The match was played on the County School ground, Beckenham (behind the present day Swimming Baths), and the Crystal Palace boys wore white shirts and blue knickers.

Admission to the ground was 6d - the proceeds being equally divided between the two groups to be allocated to charity as each thought fit. The Rev. J. Plowden-Wardlaw, Rector of Beckenham, who was President of the League was asked to kick-off. Afterwards a supper was held at the 'Three Tuns', Beckenham at 3s 6d a head. The Chairman's report on this match says - "The season culminated in a grand Inter-League Charity Match against Bromley Schools League, and here, our chosen team, watched by a concourse of nearly 700 people, won a splendidly fought out contest by 3 goals to 1. From a sporting point of view, and financially, the match was a huge success - over £20 being handed over to the several charities. To those who helped this good cause - The Kent Education Committee, who lent the ground, the Rector of Beckenham and G.N.Foster, Esq. who refereed, we offer our best thanks".

In 1923 Robinson (Balgowan) was selected for the Kent County Team to visit Paris. Tomkins (Balgowan) and Eldridge (Oakfield Road) had a trial for the London Team.

The following year the French boys played a return match against the Kent County Team. The Crystal Palace Football Club and the Crystal Palace Trustees were approached with a view to the match being played there and this was freely given Admission was 3d Boys, 6d Adults, 1/- Enclosure Wing Stands and 2/- Centre Stand..

It was suggested that the French boys should stay at the Teachers' Orphanage but at the last minute it had to be altered due to an outbreak of infectious disease at the Home. The Abbey School at Beckenham could not take them so the boys from Paris, who arrived on 22nd April 1924, were given hospitality by local families.

A newspaper report of the match reads:- "One of the finest games it has been our privilege to see was the match between Paris and Kent boys played at the Nest. Played in the most sporting of sporting spirits, as neat a display was given as one is likely to see from boys, and both teams have material that ought to shape well in the future.

47 The French lads were a much heavier side in comparison with the Kent boys, but it was the splendid combination of the visitors that attracted attention while their headwork was particularly good. The Paris boys won by 5 - 4, and as the score suggests there was a sporting battle".

After the match there was a Civic welcome at the Railway Hotel, Beckenham followed by a dinner attended by both teams, their officials, members of Beckenham and Penge Councils, and representatives of the football leagues. After the dinner a concert was held in the Public Hall.

The Minute Book goes up to the end of the 1923/24 season by which time the League had become the Beckenham and Penge Schools Football Association and was affiliated to the E.S.F.A., K.S.F.F., and L.S.F.A. At that point the Chairman was Mr Roberts a master at Bromley Road School, and the Sec/Treas. was Mr Macleod who taught at St. John's School. Mr Roberts had been Chairman since the first season of the League.

A local newspaper article at this time reads:- "In various ways the great improvement which has taken place in connection with athletics in our elementary schools has been helped by the Beckenham and Penge Schools Football Association, and doubtless it has had something to do with the improved facilities provided in the way of grounds of late. It is not long since that it was pointed out in these columns that there was need for more grounds, and that need has to some extent been met.

The experience of Penge and other places provides instances of how it is possible for a district to be so quickly 'developed', that houses are in possession before the lack of recreation facilities is discovered."

We are this month once again including an entry from the Alex Freeman Competition and felt, in view of the proposed tour of the Elmers End Cemetery on September 11th, that the paper entered by Harry Hill would be most appropriate.

ELMERS END CEMETERY, BECKENHAM

Known over the years as Crystal Palace District Cemetery, Elmers End Cemetery, and now Beckenham Crematorium, the Crystal Palace and District Cemetery Company was formed in 1873 and the cemetery was opened in 1876. The first person to be interred there was William Francillon on March 24th 1876.

In the following article I have written of only five of the people who are buried in our cemetery, but every headstone there, must have its own story such as those of Bryce Grant, William Edginton, Percy Jones (Twinlock) and many other local traders who became part of our local history. I hope that sometime in the future I can add more names to these and write about them.

Richard Norton Wight

Richard Norton Wight was a pupil at the Avro aviation school at Shoreham near Brighton in Sussex. He gained his aviators certificate (No. 462) on April 22nd 1913. He had passed his flying test in an Avro tractor bi-plane fitted with a 60 h.p. E.N.V. engine and it was in this type of machine that he took off from Shoreham on June 29th 1913.

48 He had been told that the engine was running 100 r.p.m. below normal speed due to an unsuitable airscrew being fitted, and that he should not attempt to fly circuits. He chose to ignore this advice and proceeded to clamber into the air and commence a sharp left hand turn with the tail of the aeroplane drooping.

He managed this first turn, but in attempting another in order to get back to the aerodrome he stalled the machine and it plunged to the ground. The wreckage caught fire and Wight was trapped by his foot and burned to death in spite of heroic efforts of people nearby to release him. This was the first fatal aeroplane crash at Shoreham.

It is interesting to note that the metal plate recording his death had at one time been attached to one end of the family horizontal grave stone but had been removed and the epitaph of another member of the family had been carved in its stead in 1930. It had later been fixed at the opposite end of the stone but had again been removed possibly to prevent it being taken by a souvenir hunter. The plate is now in safe keeping. Also of interest is that the aeroplane etched on the plate in no way resembles the plane in which Wight was killed. The plate reads:-

In Memory of Richard Norton Wight who was fatally burned through an accident at Shoreham (near) Brighton June 29th 1913 A song for the death-day of die brave For him that went to a hero's grave

William Walker, M.V.O.

It is recorded on the grave of William Walker that he was 'The diver who with his own hands saved Winchester Cathedral'. This is his story.

He was bom in London in 1869 and at the age of sixteen he joined the Royal Navy, and in due course became a fully qualified naval diver. When he left the navy he joined the firm of Siebe Gorman & Co. who employed more than 150 divers all over the world. In time he became their chief diver.

At Winchester Cathedral in 1905, a regular inspection showed that one of the cathedral walls was leaning outwards. An exploratory trench was dug near to the wall and it was found that under the foundations was a thick bed of peat and this was slowly being compressed and was the reason for the wall leaning. Beneath the peat though was a bed of hard gravel and this could be used as a basis for new foundations, but it was found that when the peat layer was removed that the trench rapidly filled with water and the water could not be pumped out quickly enough to permit men to work there.

It was then decided to use a diver to do the work and William Walker was the man chosen. A trench about four feet wide was dug at rightangles to the wall and when the bottom of the foundations were reached it was possible to tunnel under the walls themselves for a distance of about twenty feet leaving an eighteen inch bed of peat in place. Walker then went down in his diving suit and dug out this remaining layer of peat and water then quickly filled the trench until it was well above his head.

From above sacks of special cement that would set under water were passed to him, and he placed these rather as if they were large bricks in a wall, bonding them together to a height of three or four

49 feet. After a few hours the cement had set hard, and it was possible to pump the water from the trench. Bricklayers were then able to build the new foundation up to the wall footings using concerete blocks and hard bricks. This work was repeated all round the cathedral and it took over five years for the diver to complete his task. It was estimated that he handled over 25,000 bags of cement and almost 115,000 concrete blocks during this time.

In December 1912, Walker was summoned to Buckingham Palace to receive the Royal Victorian Order from King George V. Six years later Diver Bill as he had become popularly known died from influenza.

Father Tooth

I had seen Father Tooth's grave in the cemetery but could find out nothing about him. Over a period of about a year I asked several priests leaving the cemetery after conducting their services if they knew of him but they couldn't help. Then one day as we were driving near Ashburton Park a friend said "There used to be a convent there when I was a child. A Father Tooth ran it". She went on to describe the grounds with its fruit trees and the high fence that surrounded it. Then I found out more about Arthur Tooth.

He was bom at Cranbrook in Kent on June 17th 1839, and was educated at Tonbridge School and Trinity College Cambridge. After leaving the university he travelled a great deal and when he came back to he entered the Church, becoming a curate in 1863. Then in 1868 after several church posts in London, he became Vicar of St. James' in Hatcham, Kent. This proved to be the most eventful time of his career.

Father Tooth, although a Church of England vicar, introduced a number of practices into his church that were considered to be Catholic in nature. There was a Public Worship Regulation Act at this time that was intended to stop this mixing of religious practices. The Church authorities sent another clergyman to take over the services at St. James',, but Father Tooth refused to let him into the church. He held his Sunday service as usual,but a large mob gathered outside the church and police had to be called to control it. The result was that in January 1877 Father Tooth was arrested and was later sent to jail for 28 days. He served his sentence in Horsemonger Lane Jail in London. He was the first clergyman to be put into prison under the terms of the Public Worship Regulations Act. The general public were shocked to find that a priest could be imprisoned for his religious beliefs and were sympathetic towards him.

After Father Tooth was released he went to Italy to recover his health. On his return to England he resigned his church living. He was quite a wealthy man and he bought the Stroud Green mansion and estate at Woodside near Croydon, and next to the mansion house he built Woodside Convent. Here he ran a small orphanage with the help of a Sisterhood of Anglican nuns that he himself had founded when at Hatcham.

In 1924 the Croydon County Council bought the mansion, convent and grounds for £21,000 and Father Tooth and his community moved to Otford Court near Sevenoaks, Kent. Croydon Council demolished Stroud Green House and turned the Convent to municipal use as Ashburton Public Library, and the extensive grounds became Ashburton Park. Father Tooth died at Otford Court in 1931.

George Evans V.C.

50 George Evans was bom on February 16th 1876 at West Kensington, London. His mother died when he was just six weeks old and he was left an orphan at thirteen. He somehow managed to look after himself for the next few years and joined the Scots Guards in March 1894. He served in the South African war of 1899 - 1902 and was in action at the battles of Belmont and Modder River. He left the Guards in 1902.

He then went to Manchester and became an Inspector for the NSPCC and did outstanding work for them but in January 1915, with his country again at war, he enlisted in the Manchester Regiment. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant-Major and went to France in November 1915 and it was in the battle for the Somme in July 1916 that he won his . The citation reads

"For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during the attack at Guillemont on 30 July 1916, when under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire he volunteered to take back an important message after five runners had been killed attempting to do so. He had to caver about 700yards, the whole o f which rvns under observation from the enemy. Company Sergeant-Major Evans however succeeded in delivering the message, and although wounded rejoined his company, although advised to go to the dressing station. The return journey to the company again meant a journey of 700 yards under severe rifle and machine-gun fire, but by dodging from shell-hole to shell-hole he was able to do so, but was taken prisoner some hours later. On previous occasions at Montauban and Trones Wood this gallant Warrant Officer displayed great bravery and devotion to duty, and has always been a splendid example to his men."

George Evans was released into Holland in June 1918 under a Prisoner of War exchange scheme. His Victoria Cross was the last of W.W.I to be gazetted, the citation appearing in the London Gazette January 31st 1920.

I would just like to add that it was seven or eight years ago that a friend and myself first came across George Evans' grave. It was very neglected and overgrown with weeds and had a huge ant-hill on it. We cleared it and planted various bulbs and flowers and made it look very nice. I wrote off to the Manchester Regiment museum and asked if they could make arrangements for the grave to be cared for. They replied that they would pass my letter on to the Scots Guards in London but nothing ever came of it. Since then we have continued to care for the grave and also place a poppy-cross on the grave each November.

Frank Edward Bourne 1855 - 1945

Anyone who has seen the film 'Zulu' at the cinema or on television must remember the portrayal in the film of Colour-Sergeant Bourne.

The story of the defence of the Rorkes Drift settlement in Natal by a small force of just over one hundred British troops against an army of four thousand Zulus is still remembered as one of the great battles of the Zulu war.

The Zulus were well armed, as earlier in the morning of January 22nd 1879 they had, in just two hours wiped out a far larger force of British troops at Isandhlwana and had captured many rifles and much ammunition. Fighting from hastily prepared defensive positions Colour-Sergeant Bourne and his men, under command of Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead withstood the Zulu assault. At times they were

51 fighting hand to hand and after ten hours of bloody battle the Zulus gave up the fight and retired. There were eleven Victoria Crosses awarded to men who fought in this battle, but Frank Bourne unfortunately didn't receive one. At the time of his death in 1945 at the age of ninety, he was thought to be the last survivor of the battle of Rorkes Drift.

NOT SO DUSTY MINUTES

[This is another Competition entry which was submitted by Peter Dodsworth]

"This year the lack of workers has been most noticable. It is to be deplored that so many members of the Executive Committee, ever ready to offer counsel and advice, have so little time to spare when real work is waiting to be done. It is time they set a better example to the Junior League."

Yes, this is an extract from a secretary’s report that of the Beckenham and Penge Liberal Association in fact. But the year is not 1992 but 1911. I wonder if we dare be so outspoken today .

These old minute books came into my possession some time ago when I took over the onerous job of secretary to the local Liberal Association and they make fascinating reading. I feel sympathy for a poor Mr Stewart who was billed to speak at the Liberal Club, Penge on 3rd March 1913 on Municipal Reform with special reference to Urban District Councils. It was not until he was actually entering the building that he realised that Penge was not in the L.C.C. area. However, it appears that he carried on manfully with his set speech as the writer of the minute kindly describes Mr Stewart as a very able speaker and his address full of interesting information. Perhaps it did not matter all that much that it was not really relevant to Penge as there were only twenty people present including three candidates at the forthcoming local elections.

The writer was not so gentle with another speaker at a meeting held on the 29th April 1912. The subject this time was the National Insurance Act Explained. The meeting was not the success anticipated. Although every house in the neighbourhood had received notice of the meeting, the attendance was poor and the speaker is recorded as not being up to his subject. It is perhaps surprising to us with the benefit of hindsight, to see recorded that several members had resigned as a result of the Insurance Act.

At this meeting it is interesting to note that the two front rows of the hall were reserved for the ladies. Perhaps this was because a few days previously it had been confirmed that ladies could be admitted to full membership. There had always been a Womens Section but presumably it was concerned with social events. At that time women, along with peers and lunatics, did not have a vote.

It is recorded that a Miss Mabel Smith asked for facilities to address members opposing Women Suffrage. The Committee tactfully replied that it was not convenient to arrange a meeting at present but if time could be found later, they would communicate further. The lady was persistant, however, and wrote again a year later. This time it was decided to "let the letter lie on the table", in other words not to answer it.

It was not easy to become a member in those days. Every aspirant had to have a proposer and a seconder and receive the approval of the Executive Committee, very much like joining a golf club. The subscription was 2/6 per annum, quite a lot for those days.

52 To anyone with a twinge of conscience when asked to provide cakes for a social event bought them instead of making them oneself, it is interesting to note that the ladies of 1912 did not hesitate to do this on some occasions. At a social event held on 3rd December that year, the local Co-operative Society provided 200 sandwiches, 144 pastries and coffee for 100 persons for a total cost of £1.15. 0.

A complaint we often hear today is that the local J.P.'s. are unrepresentative of ordinary folk. This, it seems is an old grouse. At a meeting held on the 8th May 1911 the following resolution was passed: "That this meeting begs respectfully to draw the attention of the Prime Minister to the fact that no local Liberal has been appointed to the Magisterial Bench for the Hamlet of Penge within the last ten or twelve years, and feels strongly that this state of things constitutes a gross injustice to the Liberals of the district and impairs public confidence to the efficiency and partiality of the Bench, and calls for speedy remedy."

What has changed over the years is the style of oratory. Consider this gem. A vice-president of the association had alighted from a train which had stopped between stations near Kent House Station and was killed by a passing train. At a special meeting, the President "made most sympathic reference to the terribly tragic death of one of our most respected and revered Vice-Presidents, Mr H.J.Harvey - saying how the strong personality of Mr Harvey was felt in all he said and did, how generosity and goodness were predominant in his disposition, how his transparent sincerity was apparent in all he undertook, how his natural disposition of kindness which carried with him a halo of sweetness made one feel it had been good to have been in his presence; also how keen a loss his death was to our immediate neighbourhood and how we had lost not only a sterling fighter but a zealous friend; and proposed that we send to Mrs Harvey an expression of our deep regret at his untimely and tragic end and of our feeling of respect which we all felt towards him." After this everyone stood in silence for a minute or two. A hall in Fairfield Road, Beckenham was named after him. It still bears the name of Harvey Memorial Hall.

After the outbreak of the 1914 war, the Association carried on as usual for a time but the meetings got fewer and fewer. The last minute in the book records a meeting which took place on the 15th December 1916 at which this resolution was passed: "That this meeting of the Anerley and Penge Liberal Association records its thanks to Mr Asquith for his long and magnificent services to the nation, its unabated confidence in him as leader of the Liberal Party and its determination to give support to the King's Government engaged in the effective prosecution of the War."

We are still on the lookout for further articles for future newsletters so please start doing the odd spot of research and then share your finds with the other members. We would also like one or two members at other parts of the Borough to send in regular contributions as Joyce does for West Wickham. There must be someone in Chislehurst, Orpington, Famborough or Penge who could send us a few lines every other month. Please try.

Editorial contributions please to the Editor, Mrs Nancy Tonkin, 23 Bramley Way, West Wickham, Kent. BR4 9NT 081 777 8861

53 CHAIRMANS NEWSLETTER

By the time you read this the holidays will be coming to an end and thoughts will be turning to the new season of activities. As I write it is still very much holiday time-so it is no surprise that I have not received any suggestions for fund raising as requested in my last newsletter. This is just a reminder to put your thinking caps on. Whilst I am in a requesting mood could I also enquire if any member has any postcards of Chislehurst Caves? What I am particularly keen to find out is when the caves were run by Trust Houses Ltd. The latter published a series of postcards which are mainly reproductions of earlier ones produced before 1914 by Messrs. Photochrom Ltd. All the ones I have seen have been unused so I am unsure when they were issued. If anyone has a used one and could give me the date of the postmark I would be most grateful.

Turning from things subterranean to matters aerial, on Saturday, June 18th a memorial stone was dedicated on the previously unmarked grave of Dr F. A. Barton at Romsley, Worcestershire, a few miles south of Birmingham. Dr Barton was the Beckenham medical practitioner who participated in the famous airmail carrying balloon flight from Beckenham Recreation Ground in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII. He claimed to be the first doctor in Britain to carry out visits to his patients by motor car in 1897. He also had a hand in designing Britain's first airship, a model of which, he flew in Beckenham Public Hall in 1899. Later he was elected President of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Unfortunately his home in Oakwood Avenue cannot be considered for a blue plaque; when I went to look for i t , surprise, surprise, it had been replaced by the inevitable block of flats! Dr Barton apart, I don't think enough emphasis is given to the role the area has played in the history of flight. How many people know that the first aeronautical exhibition at which balloons, helicopters and aeroplanes were exhibited, was held at the Crystal Palace in 1868. For those wanting a good summary I can recommend the late Alan Warwick's book entitled The Phoenix Suburb'.

Flight is not the only connection the Borough has with things mechanical. Resting peacefully at Elmers End is Frederick York Wolseley who was bom in Ireland, achieved fame in Australia for his manufacture of sheep shearing machinery and only late in life took an interest in motor cars. During 1895 he built two tri-cars one of which was exhibited at the 1896 Crystal Palace Cycle Exhibition. Until 1975 his name was borne by a make of British car as was that of his even better known foreman, Herbert Austin. There is a small but devoted band of Wolseley car owners some o f whom arrived at the gates of Elmers End Cemetery earlier this year to pay their respects to the master. Unfortunately they had chosen a weekend so the cars had to remain outside whilst the enthusiasts made their way to the grave on foot. Next year it is planned to have an even greater presence in conjunction with the annual classic car show.

Actually there is much more of interest at Elmers End than is generally realised. As well as Wolseley, it contains the graves of Thomas Crapper, the inventor of the reliable flush; W.G. Grace the renowned cricketer; the Rev. Arthur Tooth who was the only Anglican priest to be jailed for his Anglo-Catholic practices and last but not least, William Walker, the diver who underpinned Winchester Cathedral. Elaine has asked me if I will organise a tour of the cemetery sometime in September which if I succeed in doing the Editor will advertise elsewhere, foiling which give me a ring for details. Speaking of tours reminds me that I have agreed to repeat my tour of Beckenham as part of the Borough's Heritage Week at 2 p.m. on Saturday September 10th starting from the comer of Southend and Foxgrove Roads. Anyone interested is welcome to come along.

There's just space to squeeze in one last item and that concerns Beckenham Place Park. As you know this is now entirely in Lewisham and last month I represented the Society at a meeting called by the Council to consider its future now the David Lloyd proposals have been rejected. It was agreed to set up a management committee including representatives of interested parties. I will keep you posted.