Lest we forget

Invitation

Lest we forget

Few people know that during the last war, on Tuesday 15th October 1940, during a bombing raid, a shallow trench-style air raid shelter in Kennington Park took a direct hit and 54 men, women and children were killed.

Due to the chaos of war and the need to keep up morale, no official toll of the dead and missing was made, the site was levelled a few days later and it is possible that some bodies were never recovered.  The casualties included residents from the nearby estates of Vauxhall Gardens and Kennington Park and from many of the local streets between South Island Place and Newington Butts.  Over sixty years have passed and  it seems probable that these local people have never had a proper memorial service.

The Rev Robert de Berry, vicar of St Mark's Church at the Oval, has very kindly agreed to hold a service of remembrance for the victims of the Kennington Park air raid, as well as the other 1650 civilians who were killed or were fatally injured as a result of air raids on the Lambeth area during the Second World War.  The service will also remember the casualties of more recent wars.

This service will be held at St Mark's Church, Kennington Park Road, opposite the Oval Tube Station, on Sunday 12th October at 6.30pm.  Everyone will be most welcome.

Attached is a copy of the casualty list.  I would particularly like to extend the invitation to the service to anyone who lost a relation, who remembers the tragedy or who now lives on one of the estates or in one of the houses or streets, so I would be most grateful if you could let your neighbours or association members know about this.

If there is anyone who remembers the actual event, please do ask them to get in touch with me.

Best wishes
Marietta Crichton Stuart
Oval Ward Councillor

Marietta Crichton Stuart
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Oval Ward
Chief Whip - Liberal Democrat Group

Lambeth Town Hall
Brixton Hill
London SW2 1RW

Home Tel/Fax: 020 7498 4610
LibDem office:  020 7926 2028 tel, 020 7926 2263 fax

Council email address: mcrichtonstuart@lambeth.gov.uk
crichton@stuart.org

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