The Number 335 Route (not)

Not a route as far as we can find out though doubtless someone will know more…

So I thought I would say a few words about war memorials, which we often pass and photograph. The most   authoritative guide to War memorials is for people who want more details.

For us travelling through different areas of London they remind us how locally-based recruitment for the army was in the First World War (County Regiments, Pals Battalions and all) and how the heavy casualties of that war could devastate communities.  No wonder then that each community raised subscriptions to remember their local lads and that the resulting monuments, usually plinths, statues or obelisks, but sometimes clock-towers or other civic amenities, at an important crossroads for all to see. We do not get close enough to read the dedications, which is probably just as well as we would only get weepy.

In central London there are also the more generic memorials to major units, countries or nationalities and groups (women, animals). Interestingly attitudes to these memorials have changed significantly over the years with some neglect occurring during the Sixties to Eighties but with renewed respect as anniversaries of both world wars come and go and we see continuing sacrifices brought to our attention by charities such as ‘Help for Heroes’.  The most recent development is the most shameful – the theft of metal plaques from memorials, which I think is less likely to happen if your memorial is on a major bus route or two.

In addition to the inventory link at the top of this post, this website is another source of information and photographs, while this one is a charity “for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK.”

And from our own travels, here is a selection – when I did a quick search through the photos I came up with about 27 pictures

In the North West :

East Barnet

Feltham

Fulham
Golders Green

Northwood

Shepherds Bush

In the North East:

Dagenham

Edmonton Green

Enfield Chase

Central Park Newham

Totteridge

Whipps Cross 

                                            

In the South East :

Beckenham

Biggin Hill

Charlton

Chislehurst

Croydon

Deptford

Lewisham

Orpington

Streatham          Albert Toft (1862-1949) 

In the South West:

Cheam

Croydon

Bourne Hall ( Ewell ) 

New Malden

Stockwell

Sunbury

Surbiton

Wimbledon (7)