CHURCH DAMAGED BY ENEMY ACTION IN S.E.AREA
(reproduced from the Parish Magazine, May 1941)
When the siren sounded recently on the evening of an air raid in a district near London, it was followed by incendiary bombs falling round the vicinity of a Rectory, and to the fire watchers is appeared as though the Church itself had not been hit.
The incendiaries had fallen in the Rectory garden and on the roof, and the watchers turned their attention to putting these out. Shortly afterwards the Church was seen on fire, an incendiary bomb having presumably lodged in the rafters. A trailer pump was immediately diverted by one of the Wardens to the Church. Soon afterwards the main pump arrived, and the fire was under control.
Later, however, the lower part of the tower was seen to be on fire again. The Rector (Rev’d Howard Rose) called the Fire Brigade, who again responded immediately, finally putting the fire out soon after midnight.
The Church and Vestry doors have been kept unlocked throughout the whole of the war, and the Church has been watched by at least two parties of fire-watchers every night. At the request of the Rector, the officers of the Fire Brigade had previously visited the Church and examined the interior of the roof, and were satisfied that all necessary precautions had been taken. The Rector and Churchwardens consider the Fire Brigade could not have acted more promptly and efficiently, and are grateful that they were successful in getting the fire under control so quickly.
The damage, through considerable, was confined to the food of the nave and, apart from two carpets, little of the furniture suffered seriously. The whole of the extension (the north Aisle), the sanctuary, the chancel and the vestries were undamaged, together with most of the hymn and prayer books.
A repair fund has been opened and gifts will be very gratefully acknowledged by the Rector and Churchwardens.
Rector’s Letter - June 1941
(Each month, the Parish Magazine published a “Rector Letter”. This is a short piece from June 1941.)
“As most of you know, in a recent raid an incendiary bomb lodged in the the rafters of the roof of the nave, the whole of the which was badly burnt, but, apart from a certain amount of damage to the organ by water and the loss of our two lovely blue carpets and the Bibles in the pews, neither the fabric nor the rest of the furniture of the Church was in any way damaged. Our Parochial Church Council will be meeting shortly to decide what is to be done about repairs, after which i shall be able to give you fuller information.
We already have over £150 in hand for repairs. May I, on behalf of the Church wardens and myself, say how deeply we appreciate the spontaneous response before any appeal has been made. It is truly wonderful that in so short time such a splendid sum should have been forthcoming.
I would also like to thank the large body of helpers who arrived on the morning after the raid to assist in clearing up. It was remarkable what they achieved to bring order out of chaos during that memorable day. We are also grateful to the many friends who helped us re-arrange the Church so that on the following Sunday our Services could be held as usual.
By removing the Holy Table to the north aisle not only made the temporary sanctuary look very beautiful, but have not lost very much seating accommodation. We are also greatly indebted to the Kingsdown Electrical Co. Ltd. who have kindly installed a loudspeaker in the vestries so that the Services can be relayed there when necessary.
Parish Notes from July 1941
Roof Repair Fund - The splendid total of £186 15s 11d has been subscribed. Very many thanks to all who have so splendidly responded to our immediate needs. The surveyors’ report which has come to hand estimates the damage at £1,000. The PCC at an emergency meeting decided to put temporary repairs in hand at once and to wait until after the war before undertaking the permanent work.
Reopening of the Nave - On Monday evening, July 14th, at 8.15p.m. (the third anniversary of the dedication of the extension), we hope to have a short Service to reopen the whole of the Church. The preacher will be the Rec. Cuthbert Bardsley, Rector of Woolwich.
The Blue Carpets - The anonymous donor has very generously had one of these beautifully cleaned and repaired. The other was, unfortunately, damaged beyond repair. We are grateful to our unknown friends for the thoughtfulness and generosity.
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