Plaque: Chelsea Old Church
Erection date: 13/5/1958
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.
