Lewisham honours forgotten World War One War heroes at Ladywell and Brockley cemetery
During WWI, four soldiers sadly lost their lives after returning from duty and were buried in “pauper's graves” at Lewisham’s oldest cemetery, Ladywell and Brockley. These areas of the cemetery were common at the time due to the large amounts of casualties after the war and due to families being unable to afford a memorial, meaning their sacrifice was lost to time.
The men, whose records show were all from or lived in Deptford, were buried between 1919 and 1920 and now over 100 years later the locations of their burials have been found.
Researchers at CWGC have been collaborating with council staff to pore over death records, widows' pension records, old maps of the cemetery layout and together the teams are working hard to locate the exact locations of the graves within Ladywell and Brockley cemetery. The plan is to eventually install memorials at the sites to honour their names, ranks and regiments. It is known that their ranks include a Lance corporal, a Gunner and two Privates.
An existing memorial in Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery. The new memorials will follow this design.
The CWGC is now setting up an appeal to reach out to the families or interested parties of the soldiers to add to their memorials. Once the appeal has finished, the names will then be public on the CWGC website, and information added to the headstones, which will be placed on their graves in a ceremony conducted by Lewisham Council.
The Friends of Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery have been involved in this drive to uncover the history of those laid to rest there: Geoffrey, one of the members of the Friends group said: “The Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries appreciates the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in locating graves which would benefit from the distinctive headstone. Members of the group have carried out extensive research of service personnel buried in the two cemeteries, as it is felt their service to the country should not be forgotten.”
Regional Operations Coordinator at CWGC Kevin Barnes said: “It is our first time working with Lewisham Council on commissioning war grave memorials. We are really looking forward to seeing what comes next.”
Cllr Oana Olaru-Holmes, Cabinet Member for Safer Lewisham, Refugees and Equalities said:
“As a Council we understand the importance of remembering those who have sacrificed themselves for this country. We have been working hard to ensure that these men are remembered, and that future generations will be able to see their names memorialised within the beautiful peace of Ladywell and Brockley cemetery.”
Colin Burgess, Head of Bereavement Services at Lewisham Council, laying down flowers on the location of one of the graves, where the memorial will be placed.
What you can do next
Find war dead records with the CWGC search tool.
Keep an eye out for the appeal from the CWGC. Further announcements on the ceremony for the memorials will be announced next year.