Tag Archives: 1948

26 St Marks Road

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Previously called Home Close, number 26 St. Marks Road, is currently (in 2025) the Mitcham branch of the Royal British Legion. It became the branch of the Legion in October 1931, see newspaper article below.

2024 Google Street View of 26 St Marks Road

1932 OS map St Marks Road

1952 OS map St Marks Road


Ordnance survey maps are reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland, reuse CC-BY.

Newspaper articles

Sutton & Epsom Advertiser – Thursday 04 November 1948

LEGION H.Q. EXTENSION

Members built it in their spare time

MITCHAM branch of the British Legion is hoping to open the new extension to headquarters at St Mark’s Road Mitcham — a clubroom and bar — within two or three weeks.

Work was started on this extension about a year ago and it has been done by members in their spare time. All the materials used were second-hand. This allowed the branch to keep the cost, which was borne by local legion club, to a reasonable figure.

Mr F Cane, chairman of the branch told an “Advertiser” reporter on Tuesday that it had been decided to open the bar and clubroom to provide a centre for members in the evenings in the hope that it would increase their interest in legion activities. The bar in the main headquarters premises was too small and was to be used in future as a lounge where members could bring their wives.

The building of extension was only one step towards their goal he added. They hoped later to extend it and to build a large hall over it in which they could hold dances children’s parties and other functions.

Mitcham Advertiser – Thursday 21 December 1933

COLONEL CHART RESIGNS
No Longer President Mitcham British Legion.

Lieut.-Col. Stephen Chart, D.S.O., has resigned the position of president of the Mitcham branch of the British Legion.In his letter to the secretary Col. Chart stated that he was unable to give the time to the duties of the position which he felt was required of the president. He also expressed his disagreement with the action of the branch on Armistice Sunday in separating from the main procession to the Parish Church. . As Clerk to the Urban Council Colonel Chart accompanied the members of the Council to the Parish Church, while the rest of the branch of the British Legion marched to St. Mark’s Church, the vicar of which is an old Army padre and chaplain to the branch.

Mitcham Advertiser – Thursday 20 October 1932

Mitcham Advertiser – Thursday 20 October 1932
Image © Successor rightsholder unknown.

Mitcham Advertiser – Thursday 26 January 1933
Image © Successor rightsholder unknown.

Streatham News – Friday 16 October 1931
Image © Successor rightsholder unknown.

W. Brandis & Co. Ltd. margarine and bakers products

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Company that started off as bakers’ sundriesmen, as listed in the 1938 commercial directory at 10 Commonside East, and then moved to the James Estate in Western Road, where these photos were taken. They have been kindly provided by a fellow on the Facebook group Mitcham History:

Photo taken at the premises on the James Estate.

The delivery vans have the slogan “Brandis of Mitcham”. This building looks like the admin block on the former Holborn Union Workhouse, the site of the James Trading Estate.

This is from a sketch in the 1886 issue of The Builder, available on archives.org

23 October 1886 issue of The Builder. Western Road is in the foreground.

At the Mitcham Carnival on Three Kings Piece. On the ‘wall’ is a shield with ‘E II R’, which implies that the photo was taken after the coronation Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The caption underneath reads “Brandis News. We serve the bakery trade”

In the 1954 telephone directory they were listed at

132 Western Road

From the 1954 phone book.

The 1971 telephone directory has them listed in Windsor Avenue:

1971 telephone directory

The company wasn’t mentioned in the 1930 commercial directory. The address of 10 Commonside East in the 1938 directory shows that they were based on the Windmill Trading Estate on the corner of Commonside East and Windmill Road. This was also the location of Tower Creameries and Mitcham Maid margarine.

From the British Newspaper Archives:

Streatham News – Friday 31 December 1948

Stole From Employer – Seen Loading Drums Of Olive Oil

TWO men charged with stealing 10 five gallons drums of olive oil, valued at £95, and a third with £30 at Wallington on Tuesday lastweek. They were Sidney George Webb (aged 27), despatch labourer, Sabine Road, Battersea, and William Smith (aged 27), foreman, Barcombe-avenue, Streatham Hill, charged with stealing, and John Michael Riordan (aged 37), lorry driver, Victoria-rise, Clapham, charged with receiving. Police stated that at Mitcham Police Station on December 8, Webb and Smith were told by the manager of Messrs. Brandis and Company, Western-road, Mitcham, where they were employed, that they had been seen the previous day loading the drums of olive oil on to a van. It was driven away by Smith, and when the vans returned the drums were missing. Told they would be taken into custody, Smith said: “Yes, I did do it,” while Webb replied: “That’s right, I loaded them on the lorry.”

The drums of oil were found at Riordan’s premises, and Riordan declared: “I bought them from a couple of blokes at Brandis’s, Mitcham, where I deliver.” Smith was stated to have been a policeman discharged on medical grounds. Webb told the court he committed the offence owing to the financial strain imposed by the “coming of his child”; Smith added that he was sorry, and would do his best if given another chance, while Riordan explained that he was looking forward to having his first Christmas at home—the first in nine years.

Webb and Smith were fined £5 each, and Riordan £20, with the alternative of two months’ imprisonment. All three were given 14 days to pay.

Streatham News – Friday 19 August 1938

REPRESENTATIVES, sell margarine to bakers; liberal commission. — Apply Brandis, Commonside East, Mitcham.