Category Archives: Wars

Auxiliary Fire Service graves in London Road Cemetery

London Road Cemetery, Mitcham, CR4 3LA (Google map).

In the Commonwealth War Graves section, plot 14, of this cemetery there are three gravestones for Auxiliary Firemen who died at the Surrey Theatre, on 10th May 1941.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) website doesn’t include the details of these graves in their list of the war graves at this cemetery, because, as commented below, they are not classed as full war graves. The three gravestones in plot 14 are shown below, the sequence being from left to right as viewed from the path, which leads from the entrance in Victoria Road.

E. G. Pepper, aged 32

E.F. Robinson, aged 35

C.A. Elliman, aged 37

A pdf plan of the the layout of this cemetery is available from Merton council’s website.

1914 : Helmet maker gets into trouble

From the Mitcham & Tooting Mercury, 21st August 1914

A helmet maker named William Tilley (42), of Sibthorpe-road, Mitcham, celebrated his sudden increase in business by getting drunk on Saturday. He was fined 5s. and 4s. costs by the Croydon Magistrates for being drunk and disorderly on the London-road, Mitcham. He said he worked for contractors who supplied the Government and the Metropolitan Police, and he wished he could be onboard ship with his son, “doing what they were doing for the war.”

There is a Charles T. TILLEY on a war memorial in St Mark’s church, Mitcham, and ‘C T TILLEY’ is inscribed on the Mitcham War Memorial, but no further details are known.

The 1910 electoral register has the following Tilleys:

George TILLEY : 2 Yew Villas, Leonard road, Lonesome
John TILLEY : 6 Victoria Terrace, Lansdell Road
Stephen TILLEY : Firework Road, Eastfields
William TILLEY : 11 Prussia Place