Exploring Canada Corner Written by Pam Preedy. “If I should die, think only this of me That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is Forever England Rupert Brooke “The Soldier”, 1914 If you take a walk up Church Street to All Saints Church and its graveyard, you’ll find Canada Corner which adjoins the church and is also on the opposite side of the road. In 1912, the old graveyard was becoming too small and an extension was needed. A field, the last field suitable for such a purpose,…
Month: January 2022
Calling all Murrays!
Are you a descendant of Lesley Cairns Murray? Calling all Murrays! Biggin Hill Memorial Museum is launching a new project to encourage girls to take science and technology courses and is aiming to track down any descendants of a lady called Lesley Cairns Murray (1917-1945). Lesley was educated in Bromley and the Sorbonne in France and, in the early years of the war, she drove ambulances in the Compiegne region of France, dodging the bombs. When the ambulances were evacuated back to England, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).…
A Look Back at Orpington Hospital
A Look Back at Orpington Hospital Written by Pam Preedy. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 saw men from all over Britain and the Commonwealth rush to the fight; some ‘on reserve’ re-joined their old regiments and battalions, other joined queues to volunteer, anxious not to miss out as it would ‘be over by Christmas.’ They came from far and wide, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Many, having served their time in the regular army, had migrated to try their hand at farming – looking for…