Plaque | Civilian war dead | WW2

Chelsea Old Church

Erection date: 13/5/1958

Inscription

This church, records of which date from the thirteenth century, was reconsecrated by Henry Lord Bishop of London in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on the 13th May 1958. The present building replaces that bombed on the night of the 16th April 1941 when five fire-watchers were killed - Henry Frankland - Yvonne Green - Michael Hodge - Sidney Sims - Frederick Winter - in whose memory this stone is erected.
Vicar: C. E. Leighton Thomson
Churchwardens: John W. Durnford, Arthur P. H. Stride
Architect: Walter H. Godfrey

The splendid A London Inheritance has found a booklet that was published to raise money for the rebuilding fund. That site quotes extensively from the booklet and has provided us with much of our information about the fire-watchers. The booklet is 'Chelsea Old Church : Bombing and rebuilding 1941-1950', 1957 jointly written by the vicar named on the plaque, Leighton Thomson (republished 1993). This booklet informs that the parachute mine fell at 1.20am on Thursday, 17 April 1941. The fire-watchers all went on duty on Wednesday, 16 April 1941, but they actually died after midnight.

Site: Chelsea Embankment - Old Church (2 memorials)

SW3, Chelsea Embankment

The plaque is in the church porch.  A nearby AFS plaque for Yvonne Green references this one. Green was the only one of the five people killed who was a member of the AFS.

2018: The Library Time Machine reports on an unusual painting of the old church.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Chelsea Old Church

Subjects commemorated i

John W. Durnford

Co-churchwarden of Chelsea Old Church in 1958. Andrew Behan has found someon...

Read More

Walter H. Godfrey

Walter Hindes Godfrey was born on 2 August 1881, the eldest of the six childr...

Read More

Arthur P. H. Stride

Co-churchwarden of Chelsea Old Church in 1958. Andrew Behan has researched t...

Read More

C. E. Leighton Thomson

Vicar of Chelsea Old Church 1950-92. From 1986 was a canon of St Paul's. And...

Read More

Henry Frankland

One of five fire-watchers killed on the night bombs fell on Chelsea Old Churc...

Read More

Show all 9

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Chelsea Old Church

Created by i

Henry Montgomery Campbell, Bishop of London

Bishop of London 1956 - 61. His Wikipedia page has many examples of his sharp...

Read More

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

In 1923 Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (descended from the Royal House of Scotland...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Chelsea Old Church

Also at this site i

Chelsea Embankment - Old Church

Chelsea Embankment - Old Church

There were at least 3 designs for lamps along the Thames Embankments. This on...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

St Luke's West Norwood WW2 Memorial Garden

St Luke's West Norwood WW2 Memorial Garden

SE27, Norwood High Street, 13

In our photo the railing replacement plaque can just be seen on the low wall to the left of the steps. The Memorial Garden plaque is on t...

3 subjects commemorated, 4 creators
Herbert Llewelyn Walton

Herbert Llewelyn Walton

E17, Hoe Street, 184

A touching and curious memorial with pleasing graphics. Google Street View tells us that it was erected: October 2015 - August 2016. We a...

2 subjects commemorated
Battersea Bridge

Battersea Bridge

SW11, Riverside Walk

Crossing the River by Brian Cookson points out that the 18th of June was a bridge-heavy day for Prince Albert Victor in 1887 - he opened ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Sir Alan Herbert

Sir Alan Herbert

W6, Hammersmith Terrace, 12

Sir Alan Herbert (A.P.H.), 1890 - 1971, author, humourist and reformist M.P. lived and died here. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Lord Palmerston - St James's

Lord Palmerston - St James's

SW1, Queen Anne's Gate, 20

LCC Lord Palmerston (1784 - 1865) Prime Minister, born here.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St John's in 1727 but it was still run as a single vestry. In 1855 the two parishes were reformed into the Westminster Distric...

Group, Politics & Administration

183 memorials
AC Cars Limited

AC Cars Limited

KT7, Ashley Road

Note: the plaque actually has "Carrol Shelby" which is a mistake.

3 subjects commemorated
Royal Doulton / Doulton Potteries

Royal Doulton / Doulton Potteries

Ceramic manufacturing company. Began with a factory at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth. Initially a partnership of John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watts, Jones left in 1820 leaving the company name as ...

Group, Craft / Design, Industry

39 memorials
Hatton Garden - charity girl

Hatton Garden - charity girl

EC1, Hatton Garden

Ornamental Passions tells us "A pair of schoolchildren flanked each entrance, as was customary, but one pair was later transferred to St ...

2 subjects commemorated