Palace Road in South Hackney, East London was one of the area's poorest streets - and also one of the most patriotic. By August 1916, 111 men from 77 houses in the road had joined up. Inevitably, a proportion of this number had already given their lives while serving their country.
It was a sorrowful tale that could be recounted in many other streets across the country, but in this particular urban enclave the residents chose to commemorate their heroic dead by displaying a roll of honour, framed by flags and ribbons. Accompanied by portraits of royalty and military leaders (specifically Lord Kitchener who had drowned on board the HMS Hampshire on 5 June 1916) the tribute was mounted on the wall of a house on the street. It was an outward display of local patriotism, and similar decorative tributes were located in nine nearby roads including Balcorne Street, Havelock Road, Frampton Park Road and Eaton Place. These shrines were the suggestion of the the Rev. B. S. Batty, Rector of St. John of Jerusalem of South Hackney who was sensitive to the strong feelings of such a close-knit community, and the widespread sacrifice of families within his parish (Reverend Batty was also presented with a piece of the Zeppelin brought down by William Leefe Robinson over Cuffley, after it had flown over Hackney - he enshrined the souvenir in the church with the words, 'For the skill and courage of our airmen, we praise Thy name, oh Lord.')
In August 1916, the residents of Palace Road received a particularly auspicious visitor. Queen Mary came to the street to inspect the Rolls of Honour and to talk to the locals. She also stopped at Balcorne Street and spoke a few sympathetic words to a widow who had lost her husband in action in May 1915, handing her a bunch of fragrant red roses. The roll of honour in Balcorne bore the name of 183 soldiers and sailors and Edith Scotchmere presented the Queen with a large bouquet on behalf of her brother who was serving in the Rifle Brigade. The area was awash with flowers that day as the Queen brought posies to place in the vases beside each roll of honour.
The picture we show here, with police officers struggling to contain excitable little boys, and heads craning out of windows for a glimpse of royalty, convey the morale-boosting effect of such a visit. Royalty visiting the wartime East End is largely associated with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visiting after the Blitz in 1940, but this picture goes to show that their predecessors knew a thing or two about meeting and greeting too.
Palace Road no longer exists. Severely bomb-damaged in 1940, the houses were demolished to make way for flat developments after the Second World War.
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Luci Gosling