keithmroberts Posted 8 July , 2016 Share Posted 8 July , 2016 At least the driver was not seriously hurt,. I only hope that her insurance can pay for the memorial to be reconstructed. http://www.bromleytimes.co.uk/news/shortlands_war_memorial_demolished_after_car_drives_through_it_1_4609555?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 8 July , 2016 Share Posted 8 July , 2016 On Streetview, you can see how exposed it is, almost a mini roundabout at the junction of Church Road, and virtually no protection around it. It might need repositioning if the damage is too severe to reinstate. I assume it happened this morning, and not the previous Friday when there may have been considerably more at the Memorial for local Somme commemoration service. EDIT: Ah! I see you've !accidentally" double posted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 8 July , 2016 Share Posted 8 July , 2016 At least the plinth looks relatively intact, it would be a shame to see it so badly damaged that it just gets swept up as rubble and in doing so the names of the fallen are lost (maybe forever). Glad however to hear the driver was not injured. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 8 July , 2016 Share Posted 8 July , 2016 A little more about it.. Shortlands War Memorial. Kingswood Road, Shortlands, BR2. This is the war memorial for an area of Bromley known as Shortlands, perhaps not so well defined as a separate area today, but once, and not so long ago it was a small country hamlet on the outskirts of Bromley Town. It therefore felt justified in 1921 in erecting its own public War Memorial in addition to the parish memorial in the chapel of St. George in the nearby St. Mary`s Church. The memorial was unveiled on Sunday 9th October 1921 by Lord Harris. G.C.S.I. and the dedication was by the vicar of St. Mary`s Church the Rev. H.T. Knight, M.A. The Cross, which is 5 metres high, is based on the Celtic form, and made from Leckhampton stone. It was designed by Mr. W. Douglas Caroe, architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The face of the cross was intended to face Church Road as this is where the inscription are found. About half way down the up right is the words; LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS The base contains the following inscription and date and the names of 63 local men who died in the First World War. MCMXIV - MCMXIX Our Dead Through Whom We Live The names of 65 local men who died in the First World War are inscribed on three plaques attached to the base. Strangely although most of the names are in alphabetical order some are out of sequence. Also the layout of the name order indicates the middle plaque was intended for the front of the memorial rather than the rear or the end plaques should be swapped. A separate plaque was attached to it after the Second World War in memory of the men and women of Shortlands who died in both Wars. "To the Glory of God and in proud memory of the men and women of Shortlands who gave their lives in Two World Wars 1914-1918, 1939-1945" Their names are inscribed in a Book of Remembrance kept in the Parish Church" Notes: St. Mary`s Church was badly damaged during the Second World War and their First World War Memorial was lost, although the Book of Remembrance survived. This War Memorial was also slightly damaged during the air raid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Evans Posted 8 July , 2016 Share Posted 8 July , 2016 Also on BBC London News. The names are well documented on Kent Fallen. One of my former Non-comms appears on it - Raymond Seaton Taylor. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathandshepherd Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 This is all very sad as my family have been visiting this Memorial for over thirty years. My Grandfather served from 1914 - 1918 being severely wounded ( amputation at the thigh) during I think the third Battle of the Aisne. Our family are from the North and my Grandfather was born in Stretford Manchester. I am glad to hear that Bromley Council intend to restore the Memorial, and please would it be possible to advise if it was originally financed by public subscription. Thanking you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 On 7/8/2016 at 20:26, Knotty said: Glad however to hear the driver was not injured. John You might think that: I couldn't possibly comment. Looking at the damage she's done, one does wonder what sort of speed she was doing to create such mayhem. Obviously we/I know nothing of the circumstances of the accident, but she must have been going some to do quite such an effective demolition job. I don't for one moment think she was doing it deliberately to destroy the memorial, but anyone who drives at excessive speed deserves whatever they get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 On reflection I should have added "seriously" at the end of my statement, the paper article posted by Kieth suggested she was taken to hospital with non life threatening injuries. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 Having lived for many years just round the corner, in St Mary's Avenue, from this war memorial I was shocked to see the damage. I must have driven or walked past this junction hundreds of times. I dread to think what speed was involved coming up Church road ( a residential street with cars parked on both sides); in some ways the driver was lucky to have hit the memorial as to have carried straight on across the junction would have very likely involved a collision with the trees on the boundary of St Mary's Church with far more serious consequences. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 (edited) 19 minutes ago, petwes said: Having lived for many years just round the corner, in St Mary's Avenue, from this war memorial I was shocked to see the damage... Peter, the picture in the article appears to indicate the memorial once or usually had bollards around it... there seems to be a mounting hole for one on each side at least. If this is the case, they seem to have been missing at just the wrong time... can you comment on this? Edited 10 July , 2016 by Andrew Upton Added a sentence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petwes Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 Andrew I lived there with the family when I was young so my more recent visits have been less frequent. Now you mention it I could imagine a memory of bollards and chains on a much smaller paving surround but this would be a long time ago and is probably a false memory. I think what you are looking at in the centre of each face of the plinth are flood lights. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Evans Posted 10 July , 2016 Share Posted 10 July , 2016 It was back in 2010 when I researched R S Taylor and I believe the Kent Fallen photos pre-date that, as I used the site to check which memorials he was on. The memorial was unprotected back then, by the looks of it. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 11 July , 2016 Share Posted 11 July , 2016 9 hours ago, petwes said: Andrew I lived there with the family when I was young so my more recent visits have been less frequent. Now you mention it I could imagine a memory of bollards and chains on a much smaller paving surround but this would be a long time ago and is probably a false memory. I think what you are looking at in the centre of each face of the plinth are flood lights. Peter That would also make sense. Just seems surprising that given its vulnerable location it received no additional protection, and is now paying the cost... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank_East Posted 11 July , 2016 Share Posted 11 July , 2016 I am not aware of the physical layout of the memorial or the specification of the car involved it could be a matter that the motorist stepped on the accelerator rather than the brake......could have been an auto box. But as regards the position of the memorial,these tend to be still in the location where they were first unveiled. Road developments/road traffic intensity over the years have left such memorials vulnerable to road traffic incidents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 11 July , 2016 Share Posted 11 July , 2016 Frank said But as regards the position of the memorial,these tend to be still in the location where they were first unveiled. Road developments/road traffic intensity over the years have left such memorials vulnerable to road traffic incidents. Could not agree more John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClareA Posted 4 January , 2021 Share Posted 4 January , 2021 It’s looking great again everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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