For Miss Florence Brown ........ an invitation to a Christmas Tea and Entertainment .... January 8 1919 at Laurie Grove

Now less than half a century will separate Miss Florence Brown’s presence in the Borough Hall on Laurie Grove and my own visits.

She was attending a Christmas Tea and Entertainment for “the Children of Deptford Men who have fallen in the War".

I went looking for young Miss Florence and while I cam e up with a number of candidates, I can’t be sure which was her.

An invitation, 1919

I won’t leave it there and in the fullness of time I will trawl the official records and the local media for a report of her father’s death and of the event at Laurie Grove.

And I will go looking for some of those who were connected with the Deptford War Hospital Supply Depot, which included Elsie E Morton, the secretary and Mrs R.G.White of BroomfieldHouse Evelyn Street.

The War Hospital Supply Depots were as their name suggests a voluntary organisation involved with producing everything from bandages to surgical equipment along with nightshirts and bed jackets for wounded soldiers recovering in hospitals.

There were more than 2,700 of these work parties and War Hospital Supply Depots.*

Here in Manchester there was large depot which was supported by women and school children.

Looking down the list for south east London there were contact names for pretty much everywhere with Eltham having six contact names, Blackheath four, Greenwich two and Woolwich one.

A medal, circa 1916

Location Deptford
















Picture; Miss Florence Brown’s invitation, 1919, and Dover House Supply medal circa 1916, from the collection of David Harrop, 

* War Hospital Supply Depot, http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/178.html

**The Red Cross Medal and the lost Dover House on Oxford Road ................ stories behind the book part 1,  https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/the-red-cross-medal-and-lost-dover.html