Remembrance Day: 11 November 2024

Tue 10/Dec/24

As we approach Remembrance Day, Sutton Cultural Services has prepared a range of events and resources to help us reflect on those who have served and sacrificed. From dedicated rooms in our museums to local WWI information boards and community-led projects, there are many ways to engage with our shared history.

 

Explore the powerful stories behind Sutton’s role in wartime, and don’t miss our special events, exhibitions, and our Local Studies collection, where you can dive deeper into the history of our area during both World Wars. Visit the displays, participate in the events, and join us in honouring the legacy of those who came before us.

 

Talk at Sutton Library: Fight for Freedom, Carshalton and Wallington’s War

 

Join us for an exciting talk from the St. Helier Charitable Foundation, as they discuss their latest World War II project.

 

''Fight for Freedom- Carshalton and Wallington's War'' will capture World War Two memories, photographs and stories from the residents of Carshalton and Wallington. Concentrating mainly on the period 1938-1946, the project will offer new perspectives on the home front, with any collected materials being deposited in Sutton Council's archives.

 

The project looks at:

 

  • The Home Front, including defence measures, bomb strikes, the role of women on the Home Front and the stories of individual residents.

  • The role of Croydon Airport and its impact on life during this period, on jobs, bombing and military involvement.

  • The Military experiences of local people,including prisoners of war, the retreat to Dunkirk and at other notable battles or theatres of war.

 

FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2024 AT 2:00PM

 

Book here: https://sutton.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=175794

 

Remembrance rooms at Whitehall Historic house and Honeywood Museum:

 

Honeywood Museum has a room dedicated to the history of Sutton during World War 2, and Whitehall Historic House also has a space dedicated to the men from Cheam who fell during World War One. For opening times, please check our webpages: Whitehall Historic House, Honeywood Museum. 

 

World War I Information boards

 

As we honour and remember those who gave their lives in battle, we invite you to explore a piece of local history with our World War I information boards, commissioned to mark the centenary. If you haven’t yet discovered these powerful displays, take a moment to visit their locations and learn about the impact of WWI on our community. You can find them at:

👉 Brock’s Firework Factory: Fairlands Recreation Park, North Cheam
👉 Croydon Airport during WWI: Opposite Roundshaw shops/St. Paul's Church
👉 Belmont during WWI: War Memorial at Station Road and Queens Road
👉 Belmont Hospital: In Belmont Pastures, near Knockholt Close
👉 War Graves at Sutton Cemetery: By the chapel, accessible via Alcorn Close

These installations offer a window into the past, commemorating the bravery and sacrifices made by so many. Special thanks to St. Oswald’s Church, Belmont and South Cheam Residents Association, and the Sutton World War One Centenary Steering Group for their support. Take a walk, explore, and remember.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWP_BG0N390/?img_index=4 

 

Fight for Freedom: Carshalton and Wallington's War

 

Fight for Freedom: Carshalton and Wallington's War is a community project being delivered by St Helier Charitable Trust, in partnership with LBS Cultural Services between August 2024-July 2026. In remembrance of WW2 this project will be collecting memories, photographs and memorabilia relating to Carshalton and Wallington during the war years, 1938-1946 for a website and exhibitions around the borough.

 

The team are looking for participants for the project and also volunteers to help collect and record information, help with reminiscence sessions, and undertake research. Training will be given. Please get in touch with the team at [email protected] for more details!

 

Sutton Libraries Local Studies Collection

 

Did you know that Sutton Libraries Local Studies collection has an extensive collection of Croydon airport materials. Or that we can help identify names on local War Memorials or in Commonwealth War Graves from local cemeteries.  The searchroom holds information on local bomb sites and holds aerial OS photos of the area taken after WW2 to identify bombed areas for redevelopment.  If you have an interest in how WW2 affected the Sutton area then do get in touch to see how we can help your research or put you in touch with a local WW2 research project in the area until mid 2026.

 

This Remembrance Day we remember all those who have fallen in conflicts around the world, both historically, and to this day.'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. We will remember them. 

Remembrance Service at Cheam War Memorial 

 

This Remembrance Weekend we are reposting a blog from earlier this year which commemorates 80 years since a fateful Lancaster III bomber crash that happened 21 April 1944 in Lavender Vale, Wallington and tragically cost the life of the Canadian Pilot, Flight Engineer, Navigator and Gunner as well as three residents who were sleeping in their homes at the time of the accident. ( link https://pastonglass.wordpress.com/2024/04/25/80-year-remembrance/). We will remember them.