Members of the Coney Hall Sports Social Club around the world

From Iceland to Suez Members of the Coney Hall Sports Social and Athletic Club are serving with the forces in various parts of the . Mr Frank Keenor, secretary of the club, told the Kentish Times: “Some of our lads are in Iceland.  One of our members, Lieutenant Laurence King, R.E., was married at Bognor Regis last week.  Recently six of our boys serving in the East in different units met by accident and arranged to have a day in Alexandria together.  The half-dozen included Ron White, captain of our…

Canadian Visitor talks to local Toc H group

Toc H (an abbreviation of Talbot House) was styled as an “Every Man’s Club”, where all soldiers were welcome, regardless of rank. Founded in 1915, by Neville Talbot, a then senior army chaplain, and the Reverend Philip Thomas Byard (Tubby) Clayton, it became a soldiers’ rest and recreation centre, with an aim to promote Christianity.  It was named in memory of Neville’s brother Gilbert Talbot, who had been killed at Hooge in July 1915 Talbot House soon became known by its initials TH,  and then by the radio signallers’ phonetic alphabet of the…

Heroes of the A.F.S. – Five Young Men Killed on Service

On the 19th March 1941, five local firemen lost their lives whilst on duty during the London bombings. The London Fire Brigade had been under intense pressure from the many fires caused by enemy bombs and had to frequently call in reinforcements from outlying areas.  It was on this fated night at West Ham that the Coney Hall Auxillary Fire Service was called to action.  On convey to a fire in Silvertown their truck was obliterated by a land-mine explosion, killing five of its crew. (Charles) Wesley Drew, Dennis Gerald…

Coney Hall Fete, August 1940

This article, which featured in the Bromley & District Times on 9th August 1940, shows the carefree nature of life in Britain during World War Two. Less than a month later the London area was targetted by the Germans and the Blitz began.  Throughout the year that followed (October 1940 – June 1941) 133 bombs  and 1 parachute mine dropped in the Hayes and Coney hall area alone.   Two Days’ Merriment at Sparrows Den The Mayor (Alderman R.W. Jeffs) was willing, but the donkey jibbed, Mr Keenor, chief organiser, uses…