Upper Norwood War Memorial

November 1, 2007

By Chris

By Jerry Green

Palace Mag Nov 2007

1915 - 1916: Motor ambulances on their way to “somewhere in France” from Christ Church, Gipsy Hill. The church was the first organisation in the country to purchase one of the ambulances. Envelopes were issued to the congregation at Easter, raising between £600 and £700. This was made up to £800 enabling two ambulances to be purchased which were driven to the church one Saturday and dedicated before going to France

On April 29 1922 Upper Norwood’s war memorial to those who had died in the Great War was unveiled by Sir William Treloar. The Croydon Advertiser described the memorial as “a lofty stone obelisk” which when originally unveiled stood at the junction of Church Road and Westow Street on land donated by the City of London brewery company. The Advertiser described the memorial thus: “It is a simple monument, with a little ornamentation on the top stone including honeysuckle and a cross – the emblems of Paganism and Christianity respectively. Of Portland stone, it is 18 ft high and rises from a massive plinth. At the top is this inscription: ‘To the memory of the men of Upper Norwood who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914 – 18. At the base are these words:

As a lasting memorial an endowment for the Norwood Cottage hospital was provided and this monument erected.

For their country they died

In its memory they live.

The plans for the memorial began at a public meeting held under the aegis of the Upper Norwood ratepayers association, which formed a war memorial committee. The MP for the newly-formed Croydon North constituency Major Borwick proposed the idea for the memorial at the meeting – much to the chagrin of Dulwich MP Sir Harry Samuels, Conservative, who declined an invitation to second the proposal, pointing out that as senior member in the district and a Privy councillor he took exception to the proposer being an MP whose constituency was only three months old. Treloar, a noted philanthropist and former Lord Mayor of London who lived at Grange Mount, Upper Norwood, agreed to act as president. He told the meeting their object was to do something for the men who died for their country and benefit everybody as much as possible. They wanted to do something for the Norwood cottage hospital where poor people could get proper medical treatment and nursing. There was something about the scheme that was unselfish, added Sir William. The young men of this country had done something, which we could never thank them enough for. They had saved this country and it was our duty to do something in honour of the poor fellows who had died. Major Borwick, proposing the memorial, said memories of men were short. They should get up a lasting memorial to remind those who came after that, for nearly five terrible years, England was united as never before. Major J M Hogge, Liberal MP for Edinburgh East and an Upper Norwood resident, supporting the endowment of the cottage hospital, said he and his wife wanted to endow one of the beds in memory of a young airman who was a friend of the family and, having gained distinction, was later killed. Already men who had fought in the war had gone into the workhouse. It would be to their eternal shame if these things were permitted. At a second meeting ‘held at the Crystal Palace Parade’ Hogge, who was now just Mr., said it seemed superfluous and strange that they should even attempt to advertise any such fund but the trouble with all British people in connection with the war – this war or any previous wars – was that their memories were as short as the proverbial rabbit’s tail. When the country wanted men it was full of promises, as some of the men in khaki knew far too well. Had it not been for the fight that had been put up against the present Government and previous Governments neither the soldier nor the sailor would have got one-tenth of what had been promised. There were widows today in Upper Norwood whose husbands were killed in the early days of the war who got a miserable £3 – 30 shillings at today’s prices. It was not British to give £100,000 to admirals and generals and £3 to women who had lost everything they held dear. (Hear, hear). The people who won the war were the ordinary man who went over the top at dawn and the men who sailed the ships at the mercy of the German submarine, the men who stood the fatigue and struggle. Mr. Hogge said Upper Norwood was a bit of a no man’s land and belonged to nobody. The £2,000 already given by the people of Upper Norwood he described as “nothing.” Upper Norwood could give £20,000. What was £20,000 compared with the lives of the men who were dead?

At the memorial’s unveiling it was announced that just over £2,400 had been raised altogether of which £1,500 had already been paid to Norwood cottage hospital. Bugles and drummers of the Welsh Guards gave the Last Post. The Mayor of Croydon Coun T W Wood Roberts, referring to the relatives of those in whose memory that monument had been erected, said he hoped that as months and years went by they might, perhaps, draw some comfort from the reflections that no-one of the generations to follow would pass that place without their minds being instantly drawn to the glorious example of those in whose memory it stood.

*On May 27 1922 the Croydon Advertiser reported a meeting of Upper Norwood ratepayers Association where Mr. Frank Martin, presiding, corrected certain mis-statements and erroneous impressions created in regard to the war memorial. He had been told the monument had been bought in Italy for more than £700 and had been made in Italy. (Crystal Palace’s rumour mill was going strong even then). Mr. Martin said the whole of the work was done in England, the masons were an English firm, the stone was English and the sculptor was educated at Dulwich College and, being well over age, served as an orderly in one of the military hospitals during the war.

And there were no funds in hand out of the subscriptions received, he added.

(The sculptor William Butler (or Bateman) Fagan was born in 1867 and died on April 9 1948. Elected a member of the Society of British Sculptors in 1908, an associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1923 and a Fellow from 1938 to 1948.)

The memorial was moved to its present site in Westow Street in June 1956.

Sources:

This article owes a major debt to Dr Ron Cox, who acted as Croydon borough’s recorder for the National Inventory of War Memorials, a copy of which can be found in Croydon local studies library.

At the going down of the sun… an account of Croydon’s war memorials, also by Dr Cox. 1992. Dedicated ‘to the men of the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry who died before their time.’ (Available Croydon local studies library)

Who was Who vol 4, 1941-50 (Adam and Charles Black London revised edition 1958) available Upper Norwood reference library.

British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949 by FWS Craig (MacMillan 1977) Available at Westminster Reference Library.

Thanks to: Dr Emmanuel Minne of the Royal Society of British Sculptors; staff at Upper Norwood reference library, Croydon local studies library and Westminster reference library.