DOWNHILLS
SHELTER TRAGEDY - HISTORIC COMMEMORATION CEREMONY |
Friends of Lordship Rec
Press Statement - 16.11.2008
Historic Commemoration Ceremony in Lordship Rec for the 42+
Tottenham civilians killed in 2nd World War air-raid shelter tragedy
- Powerful speeches given by familes of victims and survivors, and
reps from the emergency services
- Fund launched for a permanent memorial near the site***
At the end of Remembrance Week, on Sunday 16th November, over 70 people attended a unique
special event in Lordship Rec from 1pm to 4pm. They gathered to commemorate for the first
time the 42+ Tottenham Civilians killed by a direct hit on the 2nd World War 'Downhills'
air-raid shelter in the Rec on 19th September 1940. It was the largest single death toll
in Tottenham during the war, but had been largely forgotten and never commemorated, most
of the victims having scandalously gone unrecorded. It is believed that 300 people had
been in the shelter - most of them from streets around the Rec, and there were many more
than 42 killed . The 'Downhills' shelter was sited where Lordship Wood now
stands, at the southern end of Lordship Recreation Ground (by the Downhills Park Road
entrance), London N17 - the ceremony took place at this exact spot, 68 years on.
Those present at the ceremony included about 35 relatives of the victims, two of the
survivors of the tragedy, and representatives of those organisations involved in the
rescue and support for those in the shelter in 1940 - including the fire brigade, police,
Council, Tottenham Hotspur (whose ground acted as the mortuary after the incident) and
local churches. Many made powerful and emotional speeches during the ceremony [see
below].
The event was organised by the Friends of Lordship Rec,
supported by the families who'd been traced. In particular, Friends member and local
historian Ray Swain, had painstakingly researched the incident for many years in order to
identify the names of many of those killed and the survivors, and to track down their
families.
Proceedings began with commemorative bulb planting of over 400 bulbs in the recently
enhanced woodland area close to where the tragedy took place. Ray had also organised a
special history display about the shelter tragedy, about Lordship Rec and everyday life
generally in Tottenham in that era.
The Commemoration Ceremony began at 2pm. Ray Swain, for the Friends of Lordship
Rec, explained the facts of the tragedy and the long effort to uncover the truth and
make contact with those who lost loved ones. He also said that the Friends had recently
completed work to enhance and improve the woodland area (a new path, creating glades,
information boards etc) as part of the wider effort to regenerate the whole of Lordship
Rec. Now was the time to remember and create a proper memorial to those who died in the
tragedy. Ron Nancarrow, a survivor of the bombing, was 15 years old at
the time. Now as an 83 yr old he spoke about the horror of being trapped for hours in the
rubble. Many of those around him were killed. He paid tribute to the emergency services.
In the 1980s he had tried to investigate the incident but found that no records seem to
exist. He tracked down some of the names of the victims. He later passed on this
information to Ray Swain who'd launched a concerted effort to uncover the full details and
to plan a memorial. A number of members of the families of victims also spoke very
movingly about how this was the first chance they had had to talk publicly about the
tragedy and to grieve together. They hoped that a permanent memorial could be created in
Lordship Rec. Cllr Alan Dobbie, Mayor of Haringey, thanked the victims
families and the Friends of Lordship Rec for inviting him. He noted with sadness that
fellow Councillor Fred Knight had passed away 2 days previously and would have wanted to
be at the event too having supported its aims. He lamented that so many civilians have
died and still die in wars around the world. He would do all he could to try to get access
to the full records of the tragedy, and to ensure there would be a fitting memorial for
them. Inspector John Forde of the Metropolitan Police (Tottenham) was
present with a number of colleagues to show their respects to all those who had died. He
also noted with sadness that one of the victims was a police officer. He paid tribute to
Inspector Ernest Newark who had played a major role in the rescue operation. Inspector
Newark had also, only 2 years previously, been instrumental in setting up the historic and
nationally unique children's Model Traffic Area in the Rec. His 90 yr old son, Patrick
Newark, had hoped to attend the commemoration but was unable to due to ill health - but he
had sent the first donation to the new Memorial Fund launched at this event [see details
below]. John Thornton, Station Officer for the Tottenham Fire Brigade,
was also there with colleagues. He explained that such a large scale disaster would have
been a huge challenge for the emergency services, especially as in those days there would
have been so few fire appliances and crews available. In fact local residents would have
made up most of those involved in the rescue operation. It is a humbling thought, he said,
that Tottenham people would have saved Tottenham people. John Fennelly,
Head of Publications for Tottenham Hotspur FC, explained that the football ground was
used as a mortuary following the incident. It showed that the line between life and death
was a thin one. He had published details of the event in a recent Spurs programme and felt
that the club was an integral part of Tottenham's community history. He laid a wreath of
flowers at the site. Stephen Whittle, former Chair of the West Green Residents
Association, explained that almost all the victims had lived in streets now covered by
his association. He stated that when the association was set up 25 years ago there had
been discussion about the incident, and he was very pleased that it was now being
commemorated properly. Dave Morris, for the Friends of Lordship Rec,
announced that the Friends were launching a Fund to raise money towards building a new
Memorial Bridge over the River Moselle - to be included in the extensive lottery-funded
regeneration works planned for the Rec over the next 4 years. [Donations details
below].
Father Ken Evans, of St Philip's Church, Philip Lane then conducted a ceremony,
including a prayer, a reading out of all the names of those who died, and two minute's
silence.
Following this, many of those present, especially the families, planted further bulbs
around the woodland, and wrote their thoughts in a special Book of Remembrance.
" This was the first time that relatives and
local people had been able to come together to mark this tragic event that took so many
lives in what was Tottenham's highest wartime death toll. We will continue to seek the
identities of all those who died there, and to raise the funds for a permanent memorial in
the park."
- Ray Swain, local historian [Friendss of Lordship Rec]
Collection of Photographs from
the event
Top Left: Queenie Rawle
Top Right: Ron Nancarrow
Middle Left: Mayor (Cllr Alan
Dobbie) and Speaker Middle Right: Assembled visitors
Bottom Left: Father Ken Evans
Bottom Right: Condolence Book
*** TOTTENHAM SHELTER MEMORIAL FUND APPEAL
We have set up a Memorial Fund to contribute towards a memorial to be created during the
regeneration works in Lordship Recreation Ground in 2011/12. The plan is to help fund and
dedicate a new memorial bridge over the Moselle River. All contributions welcome.
Cheques to Friends of Lordship (Memorial Fund) c/o 14 Sandringham Rd, N22
6RB. Or bank transfer to: 60 24 23 7123 9375
More information from Friends of Lordship Rec: c/o dmorris@onetel.com / 0208 211 0916
POEM : We have also received a very
moving poem written by one of the local residents of Tottenham with her view of the
shelter tragedy Click HERE to view the
Poem |