The text actually reads "Men, women and children of the borough who lost their lives in the Great War 1914-1918 and World War II 1939-1945 and thereafter on active service". We find this form of words baffling. Possibly "on active service" applies only to the period since WW2, on the basis that no one from Bethnal Green has died in war other than on active service since then, but then why is it necessary to exclude this zero group? If "on active service" also applies to WW1 and WW2 then the dedication excludes all those killed at home, such as in the Blitz. Fair enough, but in that case why mention children? Are we missing something? We wouldn't normally criticise writing in these terms but when something is going to be inscribed on a plaque we do feel that it should be thought through.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
People of Bethnal Green who died in WW1, WW2 and subsequent wars
Commemorated ati
Bethnal Green Library war memorial
On our first visit there was no plaque, but the 'ghost' marks on the plinth s...
Other Subjects
Normansfield Asylum
See Lost Hospitals of London for an excellent history of this hospital. Briefly: The White House, a mansion with 5 acres of grounds, was built in 1866. Dr Langdon Down and his wife Mary bought it ...
Art in the Park
Art in the Park is a charity devoted to enriching Londoners' lives and environment through visual arts. They run art and performance based education and training workshops, and are involved in comm...
Scheut Fathers
Roman Catholic missionaries, correctly named the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary). Founded by the Belgian priest Theophiel Verbist, in Scheut,...