AJM Mace
Two thirds of First World War service records for ranks other than officers were destroyed during a 1940 air raid on London. Fortunately Arthur James Mullinger Mace’s papers were one of the so-called...
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Stories
Exploring the lives and heritage of Summerstown, from the trenches of the Great War to the vibrant streets of today.
My Beautiful Laundry
In 1916 the Anglo-American Laundry was the largest of four laundries all clustered in an area bounded by Burmester Road and Huntspill Street. It is still an imposing building, now converted into...
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The Mace Brothers
The Maces, AJM and WH are on the St Mary’s war memorial, sandwiching Sunday School teacher, WA Mace. The November 1918 issue of the parish magazine recounts that ‘Arthur James Mullinger Mace of the...
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The Huntspill Hero
A tight little parcel of streets sits to the north of the church on the other side of Garratt Lane. Its a peaceful enclave, sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the main road. Bellew Street,...
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Tribute to William Norris
Paul was so touched by the story of Private William Norris that on one of the foulest wettest days of the year, he took a bus across south London to the spot outside the former Tooting Gin Palace to...
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Thurso Street
The death of each of these men was a tragedy but if there is one location where a more intense level of grief was suffered than any other, it must surely be at the north end of Thurso Street. This...
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Commuter Belt
Wandsworth Cemetery is a long rectangular graveyard which slopes gently down into the Wandle valley, flanked by Magdalene Road on one side and the railway line on the other. Its high point is close...
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A Broken Heart
Not all the Summerstown 182 died in a trench or on a foreign battlefield. One perished less than half a mile away from his home. The story of William Norris is so sad that I was almost afraid to tell...
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James Jenner Crozier
At this point, from notes in the St Mary’s parish magazine, we probably know more about about James Jenner Crozier than any of the other Summerstown 182. Read his story by downloading the document on...
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The Fountain and The Grove
Whilst many of the homes of the Summerstown 182 still exist, others have completely disappeared, literally swallowed up by new development and modern progress. If you head down Pevensey Road towards...
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Hamburg Cemetery
This weekend, Karen and Thomas from Lüneburg in northern Germany have very kindly made a special trip to Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery to take a photo of the grave of Private William Warman, the...
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Oranges and Lemons
Sidney Howard Marshall, a soldier in the Canadian Infantry, died on 24th April 1915. He is one of 54,000 names on the famous Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. So far he is the only one of the Summerstown...
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