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).…
Day: January 10, 2022
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…