A service is to be held at the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe war memorial on West Lane to mark the hundredth anniversary of the monument.
The memorial on West Lane was first unveiled on October 8 1921 to commemorate the soldiers from the area who died in the First World War. Local people who died in the Second World War were later added to the monument.
The centenary service, organised for the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Royal British Legion, will go ahead on October 8 at 3pm and will feature descendants of some of those who took part in the original event, including Fergus Carr, the great-great-grandson of Arthur Carr, the Peek Freans factory owner who was instrumental in making the memorial. Fergus also designed the new joy slide at St James’ Church on Jamaica Road.
The service will be led by Canon Gary Jenkins, from St James’ Church. As well as Mr Carr, speakers will also include local MP Neil Coyle and Southwark mayor Cllr Barrie Hargrove.
The service comes after the Grade II-listed war memorial was vandalised in late August, with someone setting fire to it in the middle of the night.
Police said at the time they are open-minded about the motivation for the crime and that there was nothing to indicate any element of racial or cultural motivation.
Local residents reported the act of vandalism to Southwark Council. The monument was cleaned the same day by council workers.
Local people were defiant in the face of the vandalism, with members of the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Poppy Appeal laying poppies at the memorial that evening, and others also laying flowers.
The next evening dozens of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe residents gathered for two minutes’ silence at the West Lane war memorial.
Local people laid wreaths at the war memorial and vowed “not to let them win,” referring to the person or people who set fire to the memorial. The event was organised by Jill Merrett, who runs the local poppy appeal, and her deputies Geraldine Howard and Ken Higgins. It is still unclear who set fire to the war memorial.
The service will take place at the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe war memorial on West Lane at 3pm on Friday, October 8.