Secrets of the City of London - Part 3

Heroic Self-Sacrifice

This third post on the City of London is different from the the first two which looked at the secret enclave which runs the world and the Knights Templar’s influence on the legal sector.

Most people, including the majority of Brits, think that the ‘City of London’ refers to the whole of central London. Even those that understand that the ‘City’ is a separate location, within Greater London, don’t realise that it is a completely autonomous entity with it’s own flag, crest and Mayor. It even has it’s own government, military and police force.

Instead I will be looking at a ‘secret’ park within the City, that you can visit on your next trip to London.

Hidden away beneath the towering buildings, and only a short walk from St Paul’s cathedral, is a small area called Postman’s Park. This Victorian public garden is a great place to cool down in the summer heat, with the trees and buildings providing much welcome shade.

It is built on the old churchyard of St Botolph’s Aldersgate church and many of the old gravestones are visible around the perimeter, as they were used to line the park’s boundary.

But as enchanting as the park is, there is another surprise hidden within the secret garden itself.

This unassuming wooden loggia can both bring a tear to your eye and restore your faith in humanity at the same time. It is called the Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice and although designed in 1887 by George Frederic Watts, it wasn’t built until 1900.

George and his wife, Mary Fraser Tytler, used art as a force for social change. They despised the rich and were constantly thinking of new ways to commemorate the bravery of ordinary people.

So they designed a space big enough for 120 ceramic memorial tiles, to celebrate the lives of ordinary heroic folks, those that had died whilst undertaking a selfless act. Only four tiles were installed when the memorial was opened and to this day, there are still only 54.

All of these ceramic tiles show what humans are capable of and why we are a force for good in this universe, if that force is channelled correctly. Whilst each hero is listed below, some particular tear-jerkers include:

• Henry James Bristow - Aged eight – at Walthamstow. On December 30, 1890 – saved his little sister's life by tearing off her flaming clothes but caught fire himself and died of burns and shock.

  

• Solomon Galaman - Aged 11 died of injuries - Sept 6 1901 - After saving his little brother from being run over in Commercial Street - "Mother I saved him but I could not save myself."

  

• Thomas Griffin - Fitters Labourer - April 12, 1899 - In a boiler explosion at a Battersea sugar refinery was fatally scalded in returning to search for his mate.

• Walter Peart, Driver and Harry Dean, Fireman of the Windsor Express on July 18, 1898 - Whilst being scalded and burnt sacrificed their lives in saving the train.

• Mary Rogers - Stewardess of the Stella - Mar 30 1899 - Self sacrificed by giving up her life belt and voluntarily going down in the sinking ship.

• George Stephen Funnell - Police Constable - Dec 22 1899 - In a fire at the Elephant & Castle, Wick Road Hackney Wick, after rescuing two lives went back into the flames, saving a barmaid at the risk of his own life.

• Elizabeth Boxall - Aged 17 of Bethnal Green - Who died of injuries received in trying to save a child from a runaway horse - June 20, 1888.

• Herbert Peter Cazaly - Stationer's clerk - Who was drowned at Kew in endeavouring to save a man from drowning - April 21, 1889.

• Frederick Mills · A Rutter - Robert Durant & F D Jones - Who lost their lives in bravely striving to save a comrade at the Sewage Pumping Works East Ham - July 1, 1895.

• Samuel Rabbeth - Medical Officer - Of the Royal Free Hospital - Who tried to save a child suffering from diphtheria at the cost of his own life - October 26, 1884.

• Alice Ayres - Daughter of a bricklayer's labourer - Who by intrepid conduct saved 3 children from a burning house in Union Street Borough at the cost of her own young life - April 24, 1885.

• John Cranmer Cambridge - Aged 23 a clerk in the London County Council - Who was drowned near Ostend whilst saving the life of a stranger and a foreigner - August 8, 1901.

• G Garnish - A young clergyman - Who lost his life in endeavouring to rescue a stranger from drowning at Putney - January 7, 1885.

• John Clinton - Aged 10 - Who was drowned near London Bridge in trying to save a companion younger than himself - July 16, 1894.

• Joseph William Onslow - Lighterman · Who was drowned at Wapping on May 5, 1885 - In trying to save a boy's life.

• David Selves aged 12 - Off Woolwich supported his drowning playfellow and sank with him clasped in his arms - September 12, 1886.

• William Goodrum - Signalman · Aged 60 - Lost his life at Kingsland Road Bridge in saving a workman from death under the approaching train from Kew - February 28, 1880.

• Mrs Yarman wife of George Yarman - Labourer at Bermondsey - Refusing to be deterred from making three attempts to climb a burning staircase to save her aged mother - Died of the effects - March 26, 1900.

• Alex Stewart Brown of Brockley - Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons - Though suffering from severe spinal injury the result of a recent accident died from his brave efforts to rescue a drowning man and to restore his life - October 9, 1900.

• Richard Farris - Labourer - Was drowned in attempting to save a poor girl who had thrown herself into the canal at Globe Bridge Peckham - May 20, 1878.

• George Lee Fireman - At a fire in Clerkenwell - Carried an unconscious girl to the Escape falling six times and died of his injuries - July 26, 1876.

• William Drake - Lost his life in averting a Serious Accident to a Lady in Hyde Park - April 2, 1869 - Whose horses were unmanageable through the breaking of the carriage pole.

• Ellen Donovan of Lincoln Court - Great Wild Street - Rushed into a burning house to save a neighbours children and perished in the flames - July 28, 1873.

• Sarah Smith - pantomime artiste at Prince's Theatre - Died of terrible injuries received when attempting in her inflammable dress to extinguish the flames which had enveloped her companion - January 24, 1863.

• Robert Wright - Police Constable of Croydon - Entered a burning house to save a woman knowing that there was petroleum stored in the cellar – an explosion took place and he was killed - April 30, 1893.

• Joseph Andrew Ford - Aged 30 · Metropolitan Fire Brigade · Saved six persons from fire in Gray's Inn Road but in his last heroic act he was scorched to death - Oct 7 1871.

• Amelia Kennedy - Aged 19 - Died in trying to save her sister from their burning house in Edward's Lane Stoke Newington - Oct 18 1871.

• Edmund Emery of 272 King's Road Chelsea - Passenger - Leapt from a Thames steamboat to rescue a child and was drowned - July 31, 1874

• William Donald of Bayswater aged 19 - Railway clerk - Was drowned in the Lea trying to save a lad from a dangerous entanglement of weed - July 16, 1876.

• Frederick Alfred Croft - Inspector - aged 31 - Saved a lunatic woman from suicide at Woolwich Arsenal station but was himself run over by the train - Jan 11 1878.

• Harry Sisley of Kilburn aged 10 - Drowned in attempting to save his brother after he himself had just been rescued - May 24, 1878.

• James Hewers - On Sept 24 1878 - Was killed by a train at Richmond in the endeavour to save another man.

• George Blencowe - Aged 16 - When a friend bathing in the Lea cried for help went to his rescue and was drowned - Sept 6 1880.

• Ernest Benning - Compositor aged 22 - Upset from a boat one dark night off Pimlico Pier - Grasped an oar with one hand supporting a woman with the other but sank as she was rescued - Aug 25 1883.

• Thomas Simpson - Died of exhaustion after saving many lives from the breaking ice at Highgate Ponds - Jan 25 1885.

• William Fisher - Aged 9 - Lost his life on Rodney Road Walworth while trying to save his little brother from being run over - July 12, 1886.

• George Frederick Simonds of Islington - Rushed into a burning house to save an aged widow and died of his injuries - Dec 1 1886.

• Samuel Lowdell - Bargeman - Drowned when rescuing a boy at Blackfriars - Feb 25 1887 - He had saved two other lives.

• William Freer Lucas - M.R.C.S. L.L.D. at Middlesex Hospital - Risked poison for himself rather than lessen any chance of saving a child's life and died - Oct 8th 1893.

• Edward Blake - Drowned while skating at the Welsh Harp Waters Hendon in the attempt to rescue two unknown girls - Feb 5 1895.

• Edward Morris - Aged 10 - Bathing in the Grand Junction Canal - Sacrificed his life to help his sinking companion - Aug 2 1897.

• Godfrey Maule Nicholson - Manager of a Stratford distillery - George Elliott and

  Robert Underhill, workmen - Successively went down a well to rescue comrades and were poisoned by gas - July 12, 1901

• James Bannister Of Bow aged 30 - Rushed over when an opposite shop caught fire and was suffocated in the attempt to save life - Oct 14 1901.

• Elizabeth Coghlam - Aged 26 - Of Church Path Stoke Newington - Died saving her family and house by carrying blazing paraffin to the yard - Jan 1 1902.

• Arthur Regelous - Carman ("Little Peter") aged 25 who with Alice Maud Denman aged 27 - Died in trying to save her children from a burning house in Bethnal Green - April 20, 1902.

• Arthur Strange - Carman of London and Mark Tomlinson - On a desperate venture to save two girls from a quicksand in Lincolnshire were themselves engulfed - Aug 25 1902.

• John Slade - Private 4th Batt Royal Fusiliers of Stepney - When his house caught fire saved one man and dashing upstairs to rouse others lost his life - Dec 26 1902.

• Daniel Pemberton - Aged 61 - Foreman L.S.W.R. - Surprised by a train when gauging the line hurled his mate out of the track saving his life at the cost of his own - Jan 17 1903.

• Alfred Smith - Police Constable - Who was killed in an air raid while saving the lives of women and girls - June 13, 1917.

• P.C. Harold Frank Ricketts - Metropolitan Police - Drowned at Teignmouth whilst trying to rescue a boy bathing and seen to be in difficulty - 11 Sept 1916.

• P.C. Edward George Brown Greenoff - Metropolitan Police - Many lives were saved by his devotion to duty at the terrible explosion at Silvertown - 19 Jan 1917.

• P.C. Percy Edwin Cook - Metropolitan Police - Voluntarily descended high-tension chamber at Kensington to rescue two workmen overcome by poisonous gas - 7 Oct 1927.

• Herbert Maconoghu - School boy from Wimbledon aged 13 - His parents absent in India, lost his life in vainly trying to rescue his two school fellows who were drowned at Glovers Pool, Croyde, North Devon - August 28, 1882.

• Leigh Pitt - Reprographic operator - Aged 30, saved a drowning boy from the canal at Thamesmead, but sadly was unable to save himself - June 7, 2007.