THE CLARES, GLEN-ROY, & THE ARMY
Mr. & Mrs. Clare. Taken by a soldier during the war.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Railway Coach Sunday school, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Railway Coach Sunday school, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Railway Coach Sunday school, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven, in 2010 long since converted into two dwellings.
© 2010 Geoffrey Ellis
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven, in 2010 long since converted into two dwellings.
© 2010 Geoffrey Ellis
Glen Roy Sunday School Room cum Forces Rest & Recreation Room, Station Road, Newhaven, in 2010 long since converted into two dwellings.
© 2010 Geoffrey Ellis
Mr J R Clare with his complete collection of church photographs gathered over a period of 32 years. See text.
Courtesy of Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum.
A tribute to Mr & Mrs Clare for their Glen-Roy Sunday School and their benevolence towards Members of HM Forces at Glen-Roy, Station Road, Newhaven, May 1940 - December 1946.
By Geoffrey Ellis
Mr & Mrs Clare came to Sussex on August 25th 1917. Mr J R Clare was a Lay Reader at St. Michael’s Church, Newhaven to October 9th 1927, and afterwards Hon. Lay Reader at St. Leonard’s Church, Denton, to November 16th 1930. Mrs Clare was Hon. Local Secretary of R.S.P.C.A. since 1922. They lived in Station Road, Newhaven. Together they ran a Sunday school (initially in their kitchen) from October 18th 1931 through the war years to October 24th 1948. During this time the Sunday school had also been held in a converted Railway Coach and later in a specially built annexe to their property, but always at the same address. The Railway Coach was presented to them by the late Mrs Sarah Ann Banks (Mrs Clare’s mother), and used as a Sunday school from May 20th 1934 to July 23rd 1939.
The coach was used for five years for Sunday school and Mission Services, and on occasion for Animal Welfare Meetings, Sales of Work, Teas, Socials, a Concert and a Birthday Party to the late Rev. W Kempton when 90 candles were lighted on a birthday cake.
The Sunday school resumed in their newly built annexe on 3rd September 1939 – a memorable date; it was also the day that this country and France declared War with Germany. Preparations for this war included the creation of a military transit camp on Mount Pleasant, and the Clares were not slow to invite members of H.M. Forces to make use of their Room at Glen-Roy as a Rest and Recreation Room. They offered…
REFRESHMENTS – Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Cakes, etc at a small charge.
WRITING MATERIALS supplied free. A letterbox for posting is in the Room.
READING MATTER, Morning and Evening Newspapers, Weekly Periodicals, etc.
GAMES. Chess, Draughts, Dominoes, etc.
TIMES OF OPENING Monday to Friday. 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
The Room is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
A Visitors’ Book that contains nearly 300 entries from 30th May 1940 to December 1946 records the names and manuscript bouquets of just some of the grateful visitors who wished to express their gratitude to Mr & Mrs Clare. These visitors came from all parts of the British Isles, Canada and the United States of America. Nine Canadians signed the book on 6th August 1942; there can be little doubt of their proposed destiny. Many entries were written in prose or verse, others plain script; some filled a whole page, whilst others recorded just date, name, rank, regiment and country. To quote but three…
Nov. 1940/Feb. 1941. H L Howills 44th Div. Signals
“In memory of a cheery log fire. In memory of a piano which has moods. In memory of a beautiful home. Above all in memory of two lovely Christian people. Who showed kindness to a soldier. During his stay at Denton.”
19 March 1943. A3198 Cpl R.B. Robertson. Royal Canadian Regt.
“Kind friends. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the kind hospitality which you have shown to my comrades and myself during our short stay in this community, and truthfully the atmosphere of your little home for the boys has been to myself the most sincere and homelike that I have ever been in since I left the home of my parents. I feel that I can honestly say that my friends have the same thoughts in their hearts, although perhaps they have had no occasion to express them to you, so I am taking this opportunity to say ‘thanks for us all’ from thebottom of my heart. May God bless you and be with you always. ‘Robbie’.”
"G L E N R O Y"
Tis Anniversary day today, give thanks to Mr.& Mrs. CLARE,
Who opened out their home and hearts for soldier boys to share.
Just four long years ago today, appeared a welcome sign,
This Canteen is opened now from six to half past nine.
This sign upon the window front told every soldier boy,
That Light Refreshments and good tea were provided in “GLEN ROY”.
The boys soon took an interest in the ladies serving tea,
So I’ll put their names right underneath for everyone to see.
Mrs. Shoulders starts the week, on Monday night she’s here,
Though very quiet in her ways, she is a perfect dear.
Then Mrs. Cole who follows her, always seems so bright,
Everyone is sorry when she bids us all good night.
On Wednesday night comes Mrs. Hooker, and also Mrs. Wood,
Two charming ladies, most polite, they are so very good.
When Mrs. Hooker’s serving tea, you will always hear her say,
“Thank you very much” in her own sweet quiet way.
But where is Mrs. Wood? Ah! She is just downstairs,
Cutting up the sandwiches you can only buy at "CLARES".
On Thursday comes another change, yes, another Mrs. Wood,
That winning smile she has for all, makes us feel so good.
Comes Friday night, who have we here, Mrs. Hilder, another dear,
The Motherly smile she has for us, makes home seem near.
All these ladies give their help to us quite free,
They always make us welcome with a smile while serving tea.
There’s many a home-sick soldier who forgets his worries when,
He visits the “GLEN ROY” and sees some homely folk again.
I feel sure that every soldier boy, who has paid a visit here,
Will join with me in giving "GLEN ROY” a hearty, hearty cheer.
G. DAVISON, Royal Artillery, "THE POETICAL GUNNER", DENTON, 7th October 1944.
(Friends of Glen-Roy included Ethel Shoulders, Doris (Dos) Cole, Ellen Hooker, Laura Hooker, Ada Wood, Maude Wood, Mabel Hilder, Albert G Sims, Ernest J Rice, George Ward). Doris Cole was the mother of the late Frederick Cole MBE.
In the 32 years that Mr Clare lived in Sussex, from 1917 to 1949 when he retired as a lay reader, he completed a tour of Sussex embracing visits to every parish church and ancient church in the county – a total of 531 (including 76 mission churches or chapels-of-ease). He rarely used a car, travelling by train, bus, cycle or “shank’s pony”. His wife often accompanied him, and on some early occasions the late Rev, F F Buss of Horsham accompanied him.
Besides visiting the churches, he collected a complete set of exterior views of all the parish and ancient churches, besides most of the mission churches. Several churches he visited have been destroyed or closed since his visits. The Parish Church of Lynch, near Midhurst was the last to be visited.
Newhaven Museum has a 74-page A4 ring binder (No. 28) dedicated to this couple with many photographs, and photocopies of every page of their Visitors’ Book with commendations that record nearly 300 entries and comments made by military visitors of all ranks, services, and nationality from May 1940 to December 1946. This book probably contains the only existing source of details of the enormous variety of military units that passed through this camp, British, Canadian, and American. Mention of the Clares is made on the page dedicated to Mount Pleasant Transit Camp.
The property today shows no hint of its former use as a Sunday school and the benevolence of its former owners, the Clares, to H.M. and Commonwealth & U.S.A. Forces during their brief visit to Newhaven, many of whom never returned from their duties.