St Laurence Church is a 1960’s church in SE London. As you walk from the main church into the Lady Chapel you see on your right a stained-glass window the major components of which are the shield a white horse and two wreaths. If you pause to read the text you will find that this is a Memorial window to the 11th Battalion Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment. In fact this Memorial window is the one remaining item which was taken from the old St Laurence’s church (demolished in the 1960s). In the case beneath they used to be a Memorial book but tragically this was stolen some years ago.
The history of the 11th Battalion dates back to the beginning of World War I. Alderman Jackson, the Mayor of Lewisham received a letter from Lord Kitchener, suggesting that the Borough of Lewisham might consider raising a brigade of artillery towards the war effort. He agreed, but suggested that it was more likely that he would find volunteers if it was an infantry battalion. Thus, the 11th (Lewisham) Battalion was formed. Initial recruits stayed at home, although the borough paid for their rations uniform and equipment. They trained on what is now the Sports Ground at the junction of Catford Hill and Canadian Avenue. The first recruitment drive was at Catford ice rink on 21 May 1915 and the Battalion finally departed Catford for Aldershot in December of the same year. It numbered 34 officers and 941 other ranks. Along the way they had acquired a band and a regimental mascot (a huge borzoi hound called Invicta).
The Battalion arrived in France in May 1916 and was assigned to the trenches at Ploegseert Woods. It saw its first major action in September with the attack on Flers. The Battalion suffered heavy casualties during this attack. Of the 610 officers and men who began the attack, 15 officers and 328 other ranks were listed as casualties by its conclusion. In October the Battalion took part in the attack on Le Sars, where is sustained a further 300 casualties. After this they found themselves back in the trenches at Ploegseert Woods.
In 1917 the Battalion found itself at Ypres, before they were eventually withdrawn first to the French coast and then into Italy to spend the winter. By the spring of 1918, they had once again returned to France and in March a reorganisation of the Regiment , now much reduced in size, occurred. Because of the large casualties it had sustained this meant that the 11th Battalion was disbanded and the remaining soldiers were incorporated into other units.
The 11th Battalion had only existed for 22 months. But during that time 3000 men had passed through its ranks and of these 507 had died; 307 were missing presumed dead and 1250 had sustained injury as a result of the campaign – a staggering 68% of its total compliment. Members of the Battalion are to be found buried in the cemeteries at Flers, Warlincourt, Dickebush and Lissenthoek.
The memorial in St Laurence’s reminds us of the amazing sacrifice made by those who volunteered to join up to help ensure a just and peaceful Europe. I remember when I was a young boy at St Laurence, every Remembrance Day a few old veterans from the Battalion would attend the service. As the years went by this attendance declined until there were no more of them left to remember their fallen comrades on the fields of Belgium, France and Italy.
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