Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries

Nunhead Cemetery Annual Open Day

noreply@blogger.com (FOBLC) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Please come, it's a great day out and we hope to see you there!

For more information go to www.fonc.org.uk

The Price Isn't Right

noreply@blogger.com (FOBLC) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:07:00 +0000

Buried in the Brockley section, close to the Ivy Road footpath, lies Lt Gilbert Arthur Price, a British intelligence officer who died in a dramatic gun battle with the IRA on Dublin's Talbot Street on October 14, 1920.

Republican leader Seán Treacy was also killed in the fight which was a key moment in Irish history, commemorated in the famous ballad that bears his name. The moment was captured in this iconic photo taken by by celebrated photographer Johh Horgan and used in many history books including the cover of Peter Cottrell's respected book 'The War For Ireland 1913-1923.

It supposedly showed British intelligence officer Lt Gilbert Arthur Price engaging the IRA seconds before he was killed in the Talbot Street gun battle. But restoration work recently done on its archives by the Irish Film Institute has revealed that this iconic picture was in fact a still from a 1926 film called 'Irish Destiny'. And rather than being Lt Price the photo features an actor called O'Hara. The story of how this mix up happened was recently the subject of a feature in the Irish Independent.

What happened at the shoot out was dramatic enough without needing the embellishment of this photo. On the 11th of October 1920, Treacy and Breen had been wounded but managed to escape from a house which had been raided by the British. Breen died in hospital, but Treacy was not as badly hurt. Treacy was told to join 4 or 5 members of the Squad for his own protection, but arrived late at the appointed venue on Talbot Street. When he arrived the Squad had gone. British Intelligence men ( MI5) Major Carew and Lt. Gilbert Price, were responsible for the operation at Talbot Street
Two lorries full of British troops hit Talbot Street in a raid on the Republican Outfitters. Lt Price jumped off one of the lorries and ran across the road. Treacy and Price grappled on the street for the control of Price's revolver. There were revolver shors, and a fussilade from the British Troops. At the end of it, Treacy, Price and two innocent civilians lay dead. One cannot say with any degree of certainty who fired at whom, and who killed whom. Treacy is said to have fired at the soldiers, they fired back , killing Treacy, Price and two innocent bystanders. .

Remembrance Sunday Wreath Laying

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Jane Clouson memorial

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:04:00 +0000

Jeff Hart led a well attended tour of the cemeteries last Saturday. One of the highlights of any visit is the Jane Clouson memorial.

Lionel de Jersey Harvard: Brockley's Ivy League link

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Lionel de Jersey Harvard was the only descendant of John Harvard (who gave his name in 1638 to the prestigious Ivy League University in the USA) ever to attend Harvard University. The direct descendant of John Harvard's brother, Thomas he entered the University in 1911 having gained a place with some assistance from Harvard president Lowell when he learned that Lionel was interested in attending. (NY Times entry)

Born in Lewisham on the 3rd June 1894 he attended St Olaves Grammar School and St Saviours School(Southwark) before entering the University after spending time working as an Insurance Broker. His arrival having sailed from Liverpool was well publicised and he appeared a popular student. Addressing the assembled graduates after his own graduation he stated that 'I have had four years here full to the brim of happiness'. Known as 'Johnny' to his contempories. he had planned to become a medical missionary on graduation. Two days after graduation he returned to England to enlist and in September 1915 he was gazetted to the Granadier Guards. He had attempted to enlist in 1914 but was unsuccessful. Having married Mary Barker shortly before he went into training in Chelsea with the First Battalion of the GG and went to Flanders in February 1916. The regiment was then occupying positions in the Ypres Salient, transferring to the Somme front where he received a bullet wound in the chest at Les Boeufs. Following his promotion to First Lieutenant in June, 1917, he rejoined his battalion in France.

In July he was back at Ypres and took part in the taking of Pilkem Ridge and other important engagements. In the Cambrai advance he saw heavy fighting at Fontaine Notre Dame, and later in stemming the enemy's onrush when the British line was pierced. At home he had now, besides his wife and his parents, a new born son Peter, With the great March Offensive in 1918 he was in the front line at Arras, having been commissioned as a Captain, when on the 30th March he was killed instantaneously by a shell explosion and was buried in the civilian cemetery at Boisleux-au-mont near to Arras. A superior Officer said of him after his death that he was 'One of the most conscientious and fearless Officers that I have ever known'. His only brother Lieutenant Kenneth O'Gorman Harvard' 2nb Batt GG (a second brother died in infancy) was killed by a sniper at Pilkem Ridge on the 1st August 1917 and is buried near Langemarck.

Lionel Hall is named after him at Harvard University and the annual Lionel de Jersey Harvard Fellowship was founded in his memory in 1928 which enabled students from Harvard to spend a year studying at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University (John Harvard alumnus). His easily located family grave lies a few yards from the Dissenters Chapel at the ladywell side of the cemetery.

George Lacy Hillier: Amateur Cycling Champion at ALL(!) distances, 1881.

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 18:04:00 +0000

As the Tour De France begins, the FOBLC remembers George Lacy Hillier who was the cycling superstar of his time. He was born in Sydenham in 6/6/1856. The attached a picture of him, was taken about 1878, when he lived in Chichester and raced for the Chichester and District Bicycle Club.

Among various honours, he was for many years the English champion over all the then recognised competition distances, and also competed on the continent. Probably his most famous race was the 10,000 metre race on the Leipzig track in 1885, where he not only won the first prize but broke the record for that distance.

Hillier went on to be a magazine editor and writer and was also member of the Stock Exchange, like his father before him. He was an important figure in the planning and raising the finances to build Herne Hill Velodrome, the last of the many famous Victorian racing tracks. There were plans to tear this famous track down but it has now been saved. For more information about the Velodrome see the links below.

Hillier died in 11/02/1941 and is buried in the Hillier family vault in the Ladywell Cemetery.

http://www.hernehillvelodrome.com/about/history
http://www.freemantransport.com/blog/2009/12/herne-hill-velodrome/

Thanks to Geoff Margetts, a cycling enthusiast based in Germany, for the information.

ANNUAL REPORT for 2010-11 TO THE AGM OF FRIENDS of BROCKLEY AND LADYWELL CEMETERIES JUNE 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:49:00 +0000

The Friends group was formed in July 2007, and now has a membership of 51 as at the end of March 2011. Although about 40 members live in and around South-east London, others live further away, including Canada.

The Friends group had 7 open meetings during the year, excluding the 2009 AGM, plus one other committee meeting.

7 “work sessions” have taken place, including two in conjunction with the Council’s Nature Conservation Department’s Nature’s Gym. Work has varied from ivy clearance from the chapel to scraping grass from the paths near the old toilets to filling builders’ bags with leaves. Numbers have been steady at 3 or 4 members for rather uninspiring but essential work to complement the work done by Cemeteries’ staff. The loss of labour from Envirowork and then Glendale plus the expected cuts in the Bereavement Services’ budget and possibly staff losses means that the level of maintenance carried out by the Council is expected to fall.
The development of the bird hide has been put on hold.
The group has discussed restoration of memorials, including the Hither Green & Sydenham airship deaths memorial in the Ladywell Cemetery, but recognise that specialist skills are required.

One of the advances in this year has been the advent of public guided walks. Jeff Hart kicked off with one in April for FONC members; this was followed in May by one as part of the Brockley Max Festival. Including these, a total of 6 have been held. Thanks are due to the members who have led these walks, and the members who have come along in support. Knowledge is built up with each successive walk, and members continue to research and pinpoint particular memorials of interest.

A highlight of the year was the dedication of a new memorial to Ernest Dowson, decadent poet. Members assisted Philip Walker who instigated the project; over 80 people attended the dedication in August, and the event featured on national news.

The group again took part in an Armistice evening event organised by John McKiernan. The evening was again well attended and despite lack of funding was a success. John McKiernan attended a feedback session with the Group. He also updated the group on his future plans.

We held our first Remembrance Day event, laying wreaths at the two war memorials and picking three relevant points of interest in between.

Our second noticeboard was installed in the Brockley Cemetery in July. Colin Burgess and his colleagues are to be thanked for carrying out the work.
The noticeboard was the result of a successful application made to the Ladywell Ward Assembly for a further grant of £1000 from the Locality Fund.

The group had stalls at the following events in the year: at the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery Open Day (May), and Gordonbrock School Annual Carnival (June), and at an event in Ladywell Fields organised by Living Streets and the Council’s People & Rivers Project. This Project also organised an evening nature walk in the Brockley Cemetery, led by Nick Bertrand, in September. A number of Friends attended despite the short notice.

The group is represented on a committee of local groups, granted funds from the Council’s Ward Locality Fund, developing a walking tour map of Ladywell, which includes part of the Ladywell Cemetery. The group is also represented on the Council’s Biodiversity Partnership.

The Friends remained a member of the National Federation of Cemeteries’ Friends, and attended the 2010 AGM hosted by the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery.

The website and BlogSpot, managed by Patrick Napier, continues to be the channel for enquiries from within the UK and abroad about friends and relatives buried in the Cemeteries. Members of the group have assisted in identifying and photographing particular graves, and writing them up for the Blogspot. As a result members have been able to supply information to enquiries from Australia and Canada, and in turn have been supplied information from people who have particular interests.
It is hoped to develop a publishing programme using the research information.

I would like to thank members for their continued enthusiasm and support over the past year; also to Jeff Hart, the Co-ordinator of Friends Of Nunhead Cemetery for his guidance, and to Nick Pond and Jessica Kyle of the Council’s Nature Conservation Department for their advice; also to Colin Burgess, Irene Kemp and Shirley Bishop, the Council Officers responsible for the Cemeteries for their co-operation in the past year.

Geoffrey Thurley
Chair

BROCKLEY MAX GUIDED WALK

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:05:00 +0000

Around 40 people joined members of the Friends’ group in a guided walk round the two Cemeteries on Saturday 28th May. Appreciation was shown by attendees, and about £53 was donated towards our funds. Many thanks to all who shared the guiding, and who contributed to this successful event and of course to Brockley Max

First to the Corinthians: the story of England goalie Harry Albemarle Swepstone

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Tue, 17 May 2011 22:14:00 +0000

Thanks to Mike Guilfoyle for uncovering this story of a notable sportsman buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries

Harry Albemarle Swepstone (1859-1907) who was born in Stepney, East London, made his England debut against Scotland in 1880. During this match he was beaten by a 'cannon shot' from the Scottish 'Rooney', Centre Forward George Kerr. Harry had the dubious distinction of conceding 18 goals in six international matches as England goalkeeper between 1880 to 1883. When the famous Corinthian amateur football club was formed in 1882 to improve the flagging fortunes of the England football Team (sound familiar?!) and challenge the then supremacy of the Scottish Football Team, he suggested the name, which was accepted unanimously. The football club later came to be known as the Corinthian-Casuals in 1939, and was based in Tolworth after moving from Crystal Palace.

The world famous Brazilian Corinthian Paulista club founded in 1910 was inspired to adopt the name, following an historic football tour undertaken by the London based club. Real Madrid adopted the Corinthian's white shirts for their iconic strip. The team now play in the Isthmian League Division One South. Harry also played for Pilgrims FC and was an FA Cup winner in 1879/80. A solicitor by profession he practised at Bishopsgate and served on the FA committee in 1883/84. Harry died on the 7 th May 1907 and is buried with his wife, Emmie and daughter who pre-deceased him aged just 10 years old. The family grave(which is sadly neglected and damaged) lies a few yards from that of the newly restored grave of the poet Ernest Dowson in the Ladywell section of the cemetery.

For more see:

http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersS/BioSwepstoneHA.html- facts & figures + brief life story

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rugby_pioneers/473413891/sizes/l/ -England Football Team -1881-HAS -Fourth from left standing..

http://footballpubcast.clubfans.co.uk/2011/01/08/the-story-of-corinthians/- for more on the history of the Corinthian-Casuals..

NUNHEAD CEMETERY'S ANNUAL OPEN DAY – SATURDAY 21 MAY 2011 11.00-5.00

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Admission to the Open Day is free and there will be woodcraft demonstrations, birds of prey, choral performances in the open air chapel and, for 2011, a sculpture show in the mausoleum. There will also be guided cemetery tours and other attractions including face painting, and the celebrated 'Bug Hunt' for children and refreshments.

The FOBLC looks forward to welcoming you at its stall there!

The cemetery is in Linden Grove, SE15 with Nunhead rail station nearby. Bus routes P12, 78, 343, 484 .

The 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the SS Yongala and its Brockley connection

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:15:00 +0000

It's exactly 100 years today since the coastal trading ship SS Yongala sank in a tropical cyclone off the coast of Queensland, Australia on March 23rd 1911. The disaster became known as the 'Townsville Titanic' as all 122 passengers and crew were lost. The only body recovered was that of a racehorse called 'Moonshine' washed ashore some days later. That loss had a profound impact on Townsville which at that time had a population of just 15,000.

There is a Brockley link in the person of 21 year old Robert Walton Cook who was a crew member on the ill fated voyage and whose grave lies in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries.

The centenary of one of Australia's greatest maritime mysteries has been marked with the Yongala story appeared on ABC News, a national current affairs program in Australia. Click here and select Play Video, to see the fascinating history of the Yongala "What Lies Beneath".

Photos from Guided Walk Saturday 5th March

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:18:00 +0000

Mike talks Zeppelins in front of the Deptford Airship Deaths memorial

FOBLC Chairman Geoffrey gives some background on the Rossi family

Mick explains about surrogate war graves by the Zincraft headstone

Brockley's Jack the Ripper connection

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 23:09:00 +0000

Buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries lies Henry (or Harry) Cox (1859-1918). He was the City of London CID officer who was responsible for the surveillance of one of the Jack the Ripper suspects after the murder of Mary Jane Kelly. "The man we suspected was about five feet six inches in height, with short, black, curly hair, and he had a habit of taking late walks abroad. He occupied several shops in the East End, but from time to time he became insane, and was forced to spend a portion of his time in an asylum in Surrey." Cox wrote an account which was published in an article in Thomson's Weekly News on 1 December 1906. He was convinced that the motive was revenge on womankind, not "a lust for blood", and that the murderer, like his victims, belonged to the "lowest class".

Cox comments that the crimes ceased as soon as the man was put under observation, and that he soon "removed from his usual haunts and gave up his nightly prowls". But then he adds that "not the slightest scrap of evidence" could be found against him, and that the police continued to investigate the crimes long afterwards. He concludes by saying that the crimes are as much a mystery as they were "fifteen years ago", that the theories of amateur detectives are based on nothing more than surmise, and that the murderer will be identified only if he confesses and proves himself guilty, or if he kills again and is caught red-handed. Finally he says that he has no evidence as to whether the murderer is alive or dead.

Cox later rose to the position of Detective Inspector. In March 1902 he arrested Harry Davenport, one of a notorious gang of forgers of £5 notes. In 1903 he arrested Samuel Herbert Dougal, later convicted of the murder of Camille Holland at the Moat Farm, after he was detained at the Bank of England on a charge of presenting a cheque forged in the name of his victim. According to Cox, Dougal tried to escape when they reached Old Jewry Police Station, but was recaptured after he ran into a cul-de-sac

By the date of his will, January 1916, Henry was living at 17 Park Road (later Waldram Park Road), Forest Hill. He died on 18 December 1918 at Charing Cross Hospital.

For more on Henry Cox go to: http://wiki.casebook.org/index.php/Henry_Cox

Coo, Pigeon Painter Edward Henry Windred joins our list of Notables

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Continuing our series on notable people buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries, we here profile Edward Henry Windred (1875-1953) who was a renowned painter of racing pigeons in the 1920s and 1930s. In those days owners of prize winning pigeons often commissioned a painting of them to commemorate their victory. Windred was one of the most prolific painters, and also ran a barbers shop in New Cross where he lived at 352 New Cross Road. People would bring their pigeons to the shop where he would paint them.

Here is more information from the artist's Wikipedia page

From the earliest days of organised pigeon racing, special prizes have been awarded for outstanding performances and particular events. Today these are often photographs but in the late nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century it was common for a portrait painting to be commissioned of the winning pigeon.

Demand for such trophies was at its highest in the 1920s when several artists were working in the field. Notable amongst them were E.H.Windred in London, Andrew Beer in Bristol and South Wales and J.Browne in Northumberland and Cumberland, although there were several others.

Nobody knows how many paintings have been produced but their peak was in the 1920s and 1930s when several artists were working on such portraits. Probably the most prolific of these was E.H.Windred whose paintings remain one of the most commonly available. He may originally have been a miner but he came to London and lived in or near New Cross Gate railway station. He was not trained as an artist and in fact was actually a barber by trade. His lack of training resulted in an unusual technique for capturing the shape and stance of his subjects. He had a number of silhouettes of pigeons made up in cardboard or ply which he would match up to the pigeon. Once he had found the shape that fitted best he would draw around it to get the outline of the bird. To get the colours of the feathering right, Windred would keep a few feathers after the bird had been returned to its owner and use these as a guide.

Surprisingly, pigeon lofts rarely featured in the background of the portraits as E.H.Windred, like most of his contemporaries, would paint a backdrop of country scenes. Again, like most of his contemporaries, Windred included the fancier's name as well as the pigeon's name and ring number and performances on the canvas.

Mark Hewitt has created a website about Windred's life and the various places his family lived at in South East London. He has also put together a gallery of some of his portraits

Lewisham Zeppelin raid appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:59:00 +0000

Below is the text of a letter from the FOBLC published in the Wednesday December 15th issue Lewisham Mercury

Dear Editor,

Following the successful 'Up the Line' remembrance event in Brockley & Ladywell Cemetery ( Thursday 11th November), friends of the cemetery expressed an interest in restoring the broken memorial to the civilian victims of the Zeppelin raid on Lewisham( 17/20 th October 1917). This lies next to the heroes corner monument on the Ladywell side. The seperate Deptford memorial in the cemetery was a prominent feature in this years programme.If any of your readers has any information or family links to those killed and injured in this raid and whose names are on the Lewisham Council Archives webpage, we would be very appreciative if they could contact mike@foblc.org.uk

Yours Sincerely

Mike Guilfoyle
Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemetery
London SE4

Thank you for 'Up The Line"

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Over 450 came to see the beautiful and moving 'Up The Line' event to mark Armistice Day. The feedback received has been incredible and organiser Johm McKiernan enthused "we managed to create an amazing evening that achieved its goal of encouraging people to consider the sacrifice and suffering of World War One." He went on to say "I would like to pay tribute to all the people who worked so hard during the lead up to the day and on the day, sometimes in terrible weather, to make this happen and the many volunteers who stood, lifted, printed, blogged and much more to make the event happen." You can more about the event in an interview with Johm McKiernan on Brockley Central

For a flavour of this remarkable night check out this video put together by the Propaganda Radio Show. The poetry used in this montage is: Joseph Seamen Cotter's 'Sonet to Negro Soldier' read by Jazzman John An extract from AP Herbert's 'The German Graves read by Joe Duggan Robert Frost's 'A Soldier' read by Jazzman John Extracts from John McRae's 'In Flanders Field read by Heather Taylor AP Herbert's 'Dead Mule Tree' read by Jazzman John

Photos at top and below from the night courtesy of FOBLC stallward Bob Clark. There are also more photos from the event on Flickr

Friends' Remembrance Day event Sunday 14th November

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 10:06:00 +0000

Just a brief reminder about the Friends' Remembrance Day event, Sunday 14th November from 11am.

Please gather at the Ladywell Cemetery Cross of Remembrance for the 11am 2minute Silence.

After a wreath has been laid, we will walk to the grave of David Jones, poet, for a brief introduction about his great war poem "In Parenthesis". We will then walk to near the grave of Commander Buckle DSO 3 bars, for a short resume of his wartime achievements. Then to the Deptford "Zeppelin" Memorial, commemorating the deaths of civilians in airship bombings - we hope to be joined by the great grandson of one of the families affected. This memorial is close to the Brockley Cemetery War Memorial, where the second wreath will be laid. A short poem will be read at each wreath-laying.

And thank you to all who attended the "Up the Line" Armistice event on Thursday.

Up The Line Programme

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:53:00 +0000

We look forward to welcoming you all from 7:00 pm this Thursday 11/11/10

Up The Line Poster

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:02:00 +0000

'Up The Line' Event confirmed' for 11th November

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:09:00 +0000

The FOBLC is delighted to have received confirmation from the organisers that following on from the hugely successful 2009 event there will be a bigger and more beautiful evening performance of ‘Up The Line’ in Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery, two weeks tonight, 11.11.10 from 7pm

Poets, musicians, dancers, soundscape and film will begin their performance at the sound of a single Scottish piper along a one and half kilometre path running through the cemetery with the children’s lantern procession beginning at 7.30pm.

Monuments to those who were injured during the conflict and subsequently passed away in Lewisham Hospital and those killed in Deptford by the Zeppelin attacks will be lit by light artist Tom White using hydrogen fuel cells, dispensing with the need for diesel generators and reducing our CO2 emissions by 70% on 2009.

We do hope you can make it along to this free unique event with entry anytime from 7pm until 8.20pm. The wheelchair and pram accessible path will take between 55-70 minutes to walk so please dress appropriately, wear sturdy shoes and bring a torch.

Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery
Enter from junction of Brockley Road and Ivy Road, SE4 2QY
Ivy Road will be CLOSED to traffic from 4pm
Exit Ladywell Gate SE13 7HY
Thursday 11th November 2010
Arrive anytime between 7.00pm – 8.20pm (last entry)
Lantern Procession by children 7.30pm
Post Event Reflection from 7.30pm
Admission Free

Transport:
Trains/Overground Stations: Brockley 6min // Crofton Park 4min // Ladywell 15min
Buses: P4, 122, 171, 172
Parking limited

Get involved and information email: remembrance@platform-7.com

Produced by
Platform-7 and Moonbow Events, in association with London Borough of Lewisham and the Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery with support from the Metropolitan Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Ladywell and Crofton Park

Hash discovered buried in Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:53:00 +0000

FOBLC stalwart Mike Guilfoyle’s investigations into the great and good buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries have uncovered another gem, the founder of ‘Hashing’. Before going any further we should explain that the ‘Hash’ in question is not the illegal substance but The Hash House Harriers whose founder A.S.Gilbert lies buried in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries.

The Hash House Harriers are an international group of running clubs whose slogan ‘The Drinking Club with a Running Problem’ sums up their distinctive approach. Their reach has grown to be truly global with 1919 Hash groups located in 1251 cities in 184 countries throughout the world. To quote from the ‘Hash Bible’ ‘The Hash House Harriers is a more social version of Hare and Hounds, where you join the pack of hounds (runners) to chase down the trail set by the hare or hares (other runners), then gather together for a bit of social activity known as the On In or Down Down with refreshment, humor, song and the occasional feast.’

The Constitution of the Hash House Harriers is recorded on a club registration card dated 1950:
To promote physical fitness among our members
To get rid of weekend hangovers
To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

Their founder, Alberto Esteban Ignacio Gispert, hash name "G", (his surname is pronounced with a soft ‘G’ as in juice), was born on the 31st July 1903 in Brockley at 80 Breakspear Road. The young Alberto, although described in later life by Cecil Lee (one of the other original members of the first hash) as the 'perfect English Gentleman' was brought up by his Spanish Catalan parents in a household that spoke little English. Alberto was educated at the local Catholic school, St Joseph’s Academy in Blackheath where he learnt to run following paper trails as was common in English schools at the time.

After finishing school Gispert joined H S Baker & Co and became a Chartered Accountant in 1928 and applied for an overseas posting with Evatt & Co (later to become Price Waterhouse) who sent him to Kuala Lumpur. In1938 he joined the part-time militia, the Federated Malay States Volunteer Reservists, reaching the rank of Captain. Along with "Torch" Bennett, Cecil Lee and a few others, "G" founded the Hash House Harriers at the Selangor Club in late 1938, the intention being to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. "G" took the name from the Selangor Club annexe where the men were billeted, and which was known as the ‘Hash House’ for its notoriously monotonous food. As well as the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, harriers reaching the end of the trail would be rewarded with beer and cigarettes.

"G" was on leave in Australia when the Japanese invaded in December 1941. "He rushed back to Malaya and was seconded to the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders regiment as a Second Lieutenant. He was killed in action in the Battle of Singapore on 11th February, 1942. The family memorial shown here is in Brockley Cemetery.

For more on 'G' and the The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as Hashing) go to:
The UK Hash House Harriers Website
The World Hash House Harriers
BBC h2g2

Photos from the well attended FOBLC guided walk on Saturday 14th October

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Up The Line event announced for 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:36:00 +0000

We're delighted that following on from the massively successful 'Up The Line' event last year, organiser John McKiernan has announced that it will hopefully happen again this year. The event will take place in the Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries on 11th November 2010 – Thursday 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

The unique remembrance event will see visitors walk along a lantern lit path through the cemetery alongside several WWI memorials and graves where poets, contemporary dancers, a single actor and classical musicians will be performing in silhouette. A silent film and soundscape will also be playing. There will be 28 performers in all, including all those from last year who will be back again this year. An exciting development is that the event is looking to use green technology that will be both quieter and more fuele efficient. John McKiernan says 'We are much closer today towards having fuel cell technology meaning we may be able to run the event without the need for a generator at all.' Backing has been secured from Lewisham council but the event still depends on Arts Council funding which will be confirmed next month.

Bat and Wildflower walk

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:20:00 +0000

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Bob Clark, from the fascinating recent Bat & Wildflower walk, which was led by Nick Bertrand.

Free Guided Bat & Wildflower Walk: Wednesday 8th September

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Napier) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:33:00 +0000

On Wednesday 8th September from 6 to 8pm, in conjunction with the Rivers and People Project, there will be a Brockley Cemetery Wildlife Wander. Led by the inimitable Nick Bertrand, this is FREE and open to all and will be a walk around the different habitats in search of wildflowers, bats and tigers.

Meet at the Brockley Road entrance ( junction of Ivy Road and Brockley Road -NW corner).

For more details about Rivers and People Project events go to: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/Environment/CleanerGreenerLewisham/NatureConservation/RiversAndPeople.htm
People Project">