Harefield Anzac Pilgrimage


Photos 37 - 49 out of 49 | Back to Albums
Inside the church, this is the main chapel looking towards the alter, from about the mid-point up the aisle. A lot of this interior section has just been refurbished, with the last of the work completed only earlier this year apparently. To the left of the main chapel (in the previous photo) is the Anzac Chapel room. Here are all the artefacts and historical items relating to this part of the church's Anzac past. In the corner of the ceiling here we can see the flags of Australia and the Anzac Association on display. In the opposite corner from the flags, there is the lecturn with the old, leatherbound record book containing names of all the Anzacs who have ever passed through this church. There are claims that 50,000 Anzacs may have pased through the hospital between 1914-18, however there is definitely not that many names in this book. However, just because they came to the hospital, does not necessarily mean that they went to the church also. You can see the name of the book 'W. Billyard Leake Esq' who was the person who owned the property that the Auxiliary Hospital was built on - Harefield Park. Billyard-Leake actually loaned the entire estate to the Army in 1915, and they took him up on the offer for a period of until 6 months after the war ended.
Inside cover - illustrated by hand, showing an aboriginal man's face, various Aussie fauna and flora. And this is a typical signature page in the book. There are thousands of names in here. This beautifully caligraphed chapter at the back of the book, is the complete list of 112 names of those who are currently buried in the graveyard outside, in alphabetical order.
Another shot of the refurbished chapel, looking towards the rear (south). This is the Reverend Andrew Gandon, standing in the Anzac chapel in front of a tapestry that used to hang in the main chapel until a little while ago. This tapestry was commissioned in memory of the Australians and New Zealand troops fighting in the war... ...If you look carefully at the border of the tapestry, you can see that it is made up of hundreds of sheep, representing our Kiwi neighbours! Hilarious.
A final shot if the Vicar and I, standing outside the entrance to the St Mary the Virgin Church, Harefield. "Come back on 25th April and see the ceremony for yourself" he said. I may just do that. Heading back to Denham to catch the train home, I pass over the bridge that spans the Grand Regent Canal. There are of course the usual 'narrow boats' or canal barges, moored in probably their permanent positions, all up and down the tow path. As you can see, it still hasn't warmed up - that is ice and snow all up the pathway - gotta watch I don't go arse over tit. Across from the tow path I'm standing on, is the 'West Harefield Marina'. Not exactly the marinas that we may be used to back in Oz... but technically they do still sell the basics... petrol, ropes, moorings, outboard motors, etc.
One of the locks just upstream from the bridge. If you haven't already figured it out, this is how they move the boats up and down the canals which all differ in height as you move along (obviously the UK countryside is not totally flat). You open the first door, and move your boat inside the lock. Then, once it is secured by a rope, you open the second door. Depending on which direction you are heading, the water level will either drop as you open the door, bringing your barge down to the stream below, or it will fill up and lift your boat to the new height. It makes total sense when you see it work. I must admit it was a strangely hard concept to grasp at first. For some reason I could only see how they would work going in one direction... After this, it's back to the train station and home to London! Another day, another history lesson :)   
Photos 37 - 49 out of 49 | Back to Albums
Description: Back in 1915, the Australian Auxiliary Hospital was established upon the grounds of Harefield Estate, some 20 miles north-west of central London. Had it not been for a letter I received from my dearest Patron of Cronulla SLSC, Barry Ezzy some nine months ago, this particular fact may have slipped by me unnoticed. However since Barry's father was apparently treated out here during WW1, I soon found myself on a train, heading out to research the Anzac link at Harefield, and meet the Vicar of the local church which is the focal point of possibly one of the finest annual Anzac Day tributes outside of Australia...
Location: England

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