Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Vol 4 No 3 Autumn 2014 incorporating Islington History Journal War, peace and the London bus The B-type London bus that went to war joins the Routemaster diamond jubilee event Significants finds at Caledonian Parkl Green plaque winners l World War 1 commemorations l Beastly Islington: animal history l The emigrants’ friend and the nursing pioneer l The London bus that went to war l Researching Islington l King’s Cross aerodrome l Shoreditch’s camera obscura l Books and events l Your local history questions answered About the society Our committee What we do: talks, walks and more Contribute to this and contacts heIslington journal: stories and President Archaeology&History pictures sought RtHonLordSmithofFinsbury TSocietyishereto Vice president: investigate,learnandcelebrate Wewelcomearticlesonlocal MaryCosh theheritagethatislefttous. history,aswellasyour Chairman Weorganiselectures,tours research,memoriesandold AndrewGardner,andy@ andvisits,andpublishthis photographs. islingtonhistory.org.uk quarterlyjournal.Wehold Aone-pagearticleneeds Membership, publications 10meetingsayear,usually about500words,andthe and events atIslingtontownhall. maximumarticlelengthis CatherineBrighty,8 Wynyatt Thesocietywassetupin 1,000words.Welikereceiving Street,EC1V7HU,0207833 1975andisrunentirelyby picturestogowitharticles, 1541,catherine.brighteyes@ volunteers.Ifyou’dliketo butpleasecheckthatwecan hotmail.co.uk getinvolved,pleasecontact reproducethemwithout Treasurer ourchairmanAndrew infringinganyone’scopyright. PhilipAnderson,phlpandrsn6 Gardner(detailsleft). Thejournalispublishedin @btopenworld.com www.facebook.com/ printandonlineinpdfform. Committee members 8www.islingtonhistory.org.uk groups/islingtonhistory.org.uk Deadlineforthewinter KathleenFrenchman issueis31October. MichaelHarper DerekSeeley Journal back issues and extra copies Ever wondered…? Academic adviser Doyouhaveanyqueriesabout LesterHillman,former Journaldistributionis Islington’shistory,streetsor visitingprofessor,London overseenbyCatherine buildings?Sendtheminfor MetropolitanBusinessSchool, Brighty(detailsleft). ourtirelessresearcherMichael LondonMetropolitan Contactherformore Readingandotherreadersto University copies,backissues,ifyou answer.Pleasenotewedonot Journal editor movehouseandabout keepanarchiveorcarryout ChristyLawrance,christy@ membership.Backissues familyresearch. islingtonhistory.org.uk, canalsobedownloaded lSeeLetters,page6 c/o6Northview,TufnellPark viaourwebsiteatwww. Road,N70QB islingtonhistory.org.uk Copyright Copyrightofeverythingin $ (photocopiesacceptable) thisjournallieswiththe Join the Islington Archaeology & History Society creatorunlessotherwise stated.Whileitcanbedifficult Membershipperyearis:£12single;£15jointatsameaddress;concessionssingle£8/joint£10; totracecopyrightownership corporate£25;overseas£20;life:£125(renewalformssentoutwhendue) ofarchivematerials,wemake everyefforttodoso. I/Wewouldlikesingle/joint/concession/jointconcession/corporatemembershipandenclose achequepayableto“IslingtonArchaeology&HistorySociety”for....................... Contacts ContacteditorChristy Name(s)..................................................................................................................................... Lawranceaboutarticlesand picturesforthejournal Address...................................................................................................................................... (detailsleft). .................................................................................,................................................................... The Journal of the Islington Tickheretogoonouremaillist.Emailaddress................................................................ Archaeology & History Society ispublishedfourtimesayear Telno(incaseofmembershipqueries).................................................................................. ISSN2046-8245 Pleasereturnthisform(photocopiesacceptable)to:CatherineBrighty,IslingtonArchaeology &HistorySociety,8WynyattStreet,LondonEC1V7HU PrintedbyPrintSet,15 Palmer Wewillnotgiveyourdetailstothirdpartiesunlessrequiredtobylaw Place,London, Cover: Christy Lawrance Cover: N78DH,www.printset.co.uk 2 JournaloftheIslingtonArchaeology&HistorySociety Autumn2014 Vol4 No3 JournaloftheIslingtonArchaeology&HistorySociety IncorporatingIslington History Journal Vol 4 No 3 Autumn 2014 Personal war stories need recording now o reader can have missed this year’s anniversaries. I’ve recently Nspoken of the V1 rocket that hit Contents Compton Terrace in 1944 and the 75th anniversary of Neville Chamberlain’s broadcast in 1939 announcing Britain and News 4 Germany were at war. I’ve talked about Hints of Copenhagen House, green plaque winners, World War I commemorations, nonconformists in 1914, torn between a Smithfield is saved and the Routemaster diamond jubilee strong pacifist tradition and a feeling that they should fight in World War 1. Lettersandyourquestions 6 The first two were the most moving, as A munitions factory, deco doors, a mystery memorial and anti-slavery campaigners I spoke to people who remember those events at the same time as to those for BeastlyIslington 10 whom this is history. Today, it is difficult How animals shaped Islington’s economic, social and cultural history for young people to imagine the whole family earnestly gathered round the TheLondonbusthatwenttowar 12 radio, listening to news and propaganda. A rare restored B-type bus is unveiled before its World War 1 tour There is a much greater interest in recording oral history than there was a Theemigrants’friendandthenursingpioneer 14 few years ago. We have Pathé News, but A mystery is finally solved there is an urgent need to listen to and record the memories of those who were ResearchingIslington 16 there as children. The knowledge and abilities needed to answer Journal readers’ questions It is striking how language alters in such a short time. I’ve never heard Flightsoffancy 18 anyone younger than me refer to “the evil The extraordinary aerodrome planned for King’s Cross hun” or “the Boche”. In memorials, we no longer inscribe glory. The language of AnovelwaytoviewchangingShoreditch 19 reconciliation seems to have taken hold. Architects build a camera obscura on their roof We’ll talk about the influence of language on our reading of history in November. Historicalmodelmakesrareappearance 19 Railway model shows Caledonian Road and park area around the 1930s Horsesense Animals had a huge influence on history, Publications 20 as our Beastly Islington article shows. A foot soldier’s World War I memoir, a tour of Bounds Green, fearsome Vikings Horses pulled buses and pigeons carried and a murder mystery wartime messages (the Twitter of its day, as the Imperial War Museum puts it). Reviews 22 This year, Mary Tealby, who founded Collecting as it happens, peace after the Napoleonic Wars, creative protest and what became Battersea Dogs and Cats royal childhoods Home, won the People’s Plaque ballot overwhelmingly. See you at the unveiling. Eventsandexhibitions 24 Andy Gardner Directoryofsocieties,museumsandresources 28 Chairman, Islington Archaeology & History Society IslingtonArchaeology&HistorySocietyevents 31 Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Autumn 2014 Vol 4 No 3 3 news In brief World War 1 commemorated Call to restore Highbury PeoplewhodiedinWorld & Islington station War1arebeing commemoratedwithplaques AHighburyresidentis inthestreetswheretheylived campaigningtorestore inIslington. Highbury&Islingtonstation TheStreetsTheyLeft toitsVictorianglory.Neil Behind:Finsburyand BowdlerstartedtheRebuild Islington1914-18sawplaques Highburycampaignafter beinginstalledonIslington recognisingthecommercial streetstorememberallthose potentialofthesitesincethe whodiedineachrespective LondonOvergroundopened. street.Thisisoneofanumber Thestation,builtin1872, ofprojectsmarkingacentury wasdamagedbyaV1rocket sinceBritainenteredWorld duringWorldWar2and War1on4August1914, demolishedinthe1960s. Informationontheproject Forinformationonthe willbeputonlineinthefuture campaign,followNeilon toallowanyonetofindout Plaque marking a site of a building at 61 Farringdon Road, Twitter@RebuildHighbury. moreaboutthemenand destroyed by a zeppelin raid on 8 September 1915 womenwholosttheirlives. Nazi collaborator lived Thecouncilhasalsosetup childrenofIslingtonwhodied AstheJournalwasgoingto in Islington council flat anOnlineBookof asaresultofwarhereand press,the“battlebus” Remembrance,which abroad.Therecordsrunfrom describedonpage14wasdue Aformersoldierinthe commemoratesmorethan 1899,thebeginningofthe toreturntotheomnibus Nazi-led31stPunitive 13,000men,womenand BoerWar,tothe1950s.You factoryinNorthRoadbefore BattalioninWorldWar2lived canvisititatwww.islington. leavingforatourofthe inBovingdonClose,Archway, gov.uk/bookofremembrance. formerbattlefieldsof untilhediedinMarchlast Islingtonresidentstookpart NorthernFranceandBelgium. year.SerhijWoronyjwas inthenationalLightsOut Othereventsincludeda capturedbyBritishforcesin eventsbyturningofftheir publiccommemorationatthe 1945.ResearcherDrStephen lightsfrom10pmto11pmon MemorialArchatManor AnkiertoldtheHam & High: 4August,whileleavingona Gardens,vigilsandchurch “Thebattalionattackedand singlelightorcandlefora services. destroyedseveralPolish sharedmomentofreflection ThedrymoatoftheTower villagesandkilledmany Plaque commemorating people onthe100-yearanniversary. ofLondonwasfilledwith unarmedvillagers,including