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RUSILIP,
SPIERS AND POND LIMITED WAR MEMORIAL
World
War 1 - Detailed information
Compiled and Copyright © Martin Edwards & Steve Attwater &
Ron Spiers - 2007
with help from the Great
War Forum
The
Speirs & Pond company is no longer in existence and the whereabouts,
if it does till exist, of the memorial are unknown. The memorial was
unveiled on 11th November 1922. They were well-known wine merchants
and railway caterers as well as own their own restaurants.
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Photograph
supplied by Steve Attwater |
Felix
William Spiers who was born in London in circa 1832. In 1851 Felix sailed
to Australia to join the gold rush. There he met a 25 year old Englishman
from Essex, Christopher Pond, son of John Pond, a Customs Officer, and
together they rented a room at the National Hotel in Melbourne renaming
it, The Shakespeare Grill Room, to cater for the gold miners. Spiers
was the accountant and Pond the charming host.
Their
partnership was very successful and they then bought the Cafe de Paris
in Melbourne. In 1861 they brought over to Australia the first All-England
cricket team, who sailed on I.K Brunel's steamship, SS Great Britain,
from Liverpool. This was the first commercial sponsorship of cricket.
Mementos are in the museum of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord's
Cricket Ground in London. They also organised the first balloon flight
in Australia.
When
the partners returned to London they noticed as a consequence of their
catering experience in Australia, that catering arrangements for railway
passengers was very poor. They obtained extensive contracts from the
authorities to have restaurants and cafes at railway stations to supply
food to passengers. They also built the Criterion Restaurant and Theatre
in Piccadilly Circus, London, in 1874, managed by Charles Wyndham. Its
bar was a famous meeting place and is associated with the mythical Sherlock
Holmes. Next came the Gaiety Theatre Restaurant at Aldwych in The Strand,
London in 1894. Dickens had an office there where he produced his magazine
Household Words. They also catered at the Regents Park Zoo and the Theatre
Royal, Drury Lane. In early 1879 their Westminster Supply Association
of New Bridge Street, London and Deane Street, Liverpool started producing
an 80 page monthly subscription mail order catalogue, The Housekeeper,
which also provided articles of interest, recipes and hints to housewives.
The
company owned 12 major hotels, including the Grand Hotel at Brighton.
In 1957 the company was acquired by Chicken Inns and in 1960 was amalgamated
with the Express Dairy Co.
Looking
closer at the names on the memorial, they seem to come from all across
the UK (B Creed is from Preston, D Heller from Torquay, J Woodason from
Kent), so it is likely that the company Head Office commissioned the
memorial as a national memorial, and as such it will almost certainly
have been located in their Head Office at 430, Victoria Road South,
Rusilip (currently home to Express Dairies via ARLA Foods UK). The company
appears to have ceased trading in 1975-1976. Grand Metropolitan PLC
then bought Express Dairy in the 1970's, before 1986 the Spiers and
Pond War Memorial was stored in the basement car park at the group’s
former Head Office in 11 Hanover Square, London W.1. In about 1989 or
1990, GrandMet merged with Guinness forming Diageo PLC, which still
exists. They sold Express Dairies as stated to ARLA and the movement
of the memorial is un known after Hanover Square, but the Group left
Hanover Square around 1990 and for a time had offices both at 75 St
James’s Square, London S.W.1. and then later at Park Royal. Park
Royal has now closed.
Some
of the known locations of Spiers & Ponds:
| Brixton,
South London |
|
Altrincham |
| Central
Station, Ranleigh Street, Liverpool |
|
The
Granville Hotel, Victoria Parade, East Cliff. Ramsgate |
| 38
New Bridge Street, London EC |
|
The
Granville Buffet, Truro Road, East Cliff, Ramsgate |
| Criterion
Restaurant and Theatre, Piccadilly Circus, London |
|
Harbour
Street, Ramsgate |
| Gaiety
Theatre Restaurant, The Strand, London |
|
Mansion
House Station, London |
| Theatre
Royal, Drury Lane, London |
|
Ludgate
Station, Ludgate Hill, London |
| Holborn
Viaduct, London |
|
Bexhill
Station. Bexhill, Sussex |
| Bolton
Station, Bolton, Lancashire |
|
Southport
Station, Southport, Lancashire |
THE
FOLLOWING MADE THE GREAT SACRIFICE. |
1914 |
IN
THE WAR |
1918 |
| ALLDEN |
Harry
Raymond |
Private
42747, 11th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment).
Killed in action 20th September 1917. Aged 19. Born and enlisted
Barnsley. Son of Edward and Elizabeth Allden. No known grave. Commemorated
on TYNE COT MEMORIAL, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Panel
42 to 47 and 162. |
| BROOKES |
C |
No
further information currently available |
| BROWN |
Hubert
Edwin Charles Francis |
Private
5214, 1st (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers), London Regiment.
Killed in action 16th September 1916. Enlisted Handel Street, resident
Hornsey Drive. Buried in COMBLES COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, Somme,
France. Plot VI. Row G. Grave 4. |
| BURNS |
Edward
Augustine |
Rifleman
452889, 11th (County of London) Battalion (Finsbury Rifles), London
Regiment. Killed in action 22nd May 1917. Aged 19. Born Kensington,
enlisted London, resident Fulham. Son of Mrs. Annie Burns, of 44,
Oxberry Avenue. Fulham, London. No known grave. Commemorated on
ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Bay 10. |
| BUSHROD |
Lionel
William |
Private
22548, 15th (Service) Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Killed in action
6th October 1916. Born Dorechester, Dorset, enlisted Southampton,
resident Salisbury, Wiltshire. No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL
Memorial, Somme, France. Pier and Face 7 C and 7 B |
| CARTER |
A
C |
No
further information currently available |
| CLARK |
A |
No
further information currently available |
| CLARKE |
C |
No
further information currently available |
| CLEMENTS |
J |
No
further information currently available |
| CREED |
B
R |
No
further information currently available - Preston? |
| DOBSON |
A
H |
No
further information currently available |
| FARMER |
John
Charles |
Private
718196, 1st/23rd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment.
Killed in action 25th March 1918. Born Stockcross, Berkshire, enlisted
West London, resident Fulham. Formerly 474199, 12th Battalion, London
Regiment. No known grave. Commemorated on ARRAS MEMORIAL, Pas de
Calais, France. Bay 9 or 10. |
| FARROW |
H
A |
No
further information currently available |
| FIRMINGER |
Robert
Stephen |
Private
106885, 111th Company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). Died of wounds
24th September 1917. Born Dulwich, Surrey, enlisted Mitcham. Formerly
265102, Lincolnshire Regiment. Buried in WESTOUTER CHURCHYARD AND
EXTENSION, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Plot II. Row E.
Grave 11. |
| GADD |
Percy
James |
Rifleman
S/8132, 9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own).
Killed in action 15th September 1916. Born brixton, Surrey, enlisted
Charing Cross, Middlesex, resident Walworth, Surrey. No known grave.
Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face
16 B and 16 C. |
| GIBBARD |
A
E W |
Corporal
M2/196738, 66th Auxiliary Supply and Petroleum Company, Mechanical
Transport, Army Service Corps. Died 18th November 1918. Buried in
ETRETAT CHURCHYARD EXTENSION, Seine-Maritime, France. Plot III.
Row E. Grave 11. |
| HAWKINS |
L |
No
further information currently available |
| HELLER |
Davis |
Rifleman
41283, London Regiment (Artists' Rifles) posted to 1st/28th Battalion,
Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own). Killed in action 3rd September
1918. Aged 27. Born Whitechapel, Middlesex, enlisted London, resident
Southwark, Surrey. Son of Gabriel and Leah Heller, of 82, Imperial
Avenue, Stoke Newington, London; husband of May Heller, of 36, Fore
St., St. Mary Church, Torquay. Twice previously wounded. Formerly
R/22515, King's Royal Rifle Corps. No known grave. Commemorated
on VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 10. |
| HOGG |
W
J |
No
further information currently available |
| HOILE |
R |
No
further information currently available |
| HORSWELL |
John
Willis |
Private
703501, 23rd Battalion, London Regiment. Died 19th July 1918. Aged
40. Born Stonehurst, Devon (CWGC states Plymouth, enlisted and resident
Battersea. Son of John and Ann Horswell; husband of Blanche M. Horswell,
of 76, Ongar Rd., Brentwood, Essex. Buried in VALENCIENNES (ST.
ROCH) COMMUNAL CEMETERY, Nord, France. Plot V. Row D. Garve 9. |
| HUBBARD |
C |
No
further information currently available |
| JOHNSON |
E |
No
further information currently available |
| LANSDELL |
P |
No
further information currently available |
| MANSFIELD |
H
E |
No
further information currently available |
| MARRIOTT |
W
G |
No
further information currently available |
| MAYER |
E |
No
further information currently available |
| MASON |
L
A |
No
further information currently available |
| MILLER |
H |
No
further information currently available |
| MOORE |
F |
No
further information currently available |
| MOORE |
W
J |
No
further information currently available |
| O'ROURKE |
J |
No
further information currently available |
| PLUMMER |
W
E |
No
further information currently available |
| RICHES |
G |
No
further information currently available |
| SINCLAIR |
A
S |
No
further information currently available |
| SLEEP |
Cyril |
Private
10701, 10th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Killed in action at Gallipoli
21st August 1915, Aged 21. Born Theedle Thorpe, Lincolnshire, enlisted
Southampton. Son of Mary Sleep, of 228, Northumberland Rd., Southampton,
and the late John Henry Sleep. No known grave. Commemorated on HELLES
MEMORIAL, Turkey. Panel 125-134 or 223-226 228-229 & 328. |
| SMITH |
A |
No
further information currently available |
| SMITH |
A
J |
No
further information currently available |
| STOREY |
Albert
George |
Rifleman
574911, 17th (County of London) Battalion (Poplar and Stepney Rifles),
London Regiment posted to 2nd/5th Battalion (London Rifle Brigade),
London Regiment. Killed in action 24th September 1917. Aged 31.
Born Stoke Newington, enlisted Walthamstow. Husband of Emily Ethel
Annie Judd (formerly Storey), of 4, Landscape Terrace, Horn Lane,
Woodford Green, Essex. Buried in PROWSE POINT MILITARY CEMETERY,
Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium. Plot III. Row C. Grave 14. |
| WALKER |
F |
No
further information currently available |
| WELLS |
C
F |
No
further information currently available |
| WHEELER |
H
P |
probably
Henry WHEELER, Lance Corporal [listed as Private on SDGW] 6803,
1st Battalion, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment). Killed
in action 25th September 1915. Born Heston, Middlesex, enlisted
Hounslow, Middlesex. Buried in CAMBRIN CHURCHYARD EXTENSION, Pas
de Calais, France. Plot/Row/Section H Grave 23.
Quote
from framing card of the war memorial photograph above "Hilda's
father killed in France in First World War in 1915, is 4th name
up on Memorial." |
| WICKS |
H |
No
further information currently available |
| WOODASON |
James |
Private
295308, 4th (City of London) Battalion (Royal Fusiliers), London
Regiment. Killed in action 20th September 1917. Aged 29. Born Tunbridge
Wells, Kent, enlisted and resident Tonbridge. Son of James and Elizabeth
Woodason, of 23, Albert Rd., Tonbridge; husband of Ethel May Newnes
(formerly Woodason), of 124, St. Mary's Rd., Tonbridge, Kent. Formerly
2482, Huntingdonshir Cyclist Battalion. No known grave. Commemorated
on YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Panel 52. |
| YOUNG |
R
H |
No
further information currently available |
Last
updated
11 September, 2020
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