Postman's Park in the City of London (north of St Paul's Cathedral) is famous for its 'Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice', opened in 1900 with plaques commemorating people who died saving the lives of others. I was there recently and spotted several South Londoners:
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| Alexander Stewart Brown of Brockley, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons Though suffering from severe spinal injury the result of a recent accident died from his brave efforts to rescue a drowning man and to restore his life, October 9, 1900 (seemingly he had been injured when thrown from his horse and carriage at junction of Brockley Road and Ivy Road, and then while recovering had rescued a man at Boulogne, only to contract pneumonia and die) |
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| David Selves aged 12 Off Woolwich supported his drowning playfellow and sank with him clasped in his arms. September 12, 1886 |
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| Mrs Yarman wife of George Yarman, Labourer at Bermondsey Refusing to be deterred from making three attempts to climb a burning staircase to save her aged mother Died of the effects, March 26, 1900 |
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| William Fisher, Aged 9, Lost his life on Rodney Road Walworth while trying to save his little brother from being run over July 12, 1886 |
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| Richard Farris, Labourer Was drowned in attempting to save a poor girl who had thrown herself into the canal at Globe Bridge Peckham May 20, 1878 |
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| Leigh Pitt, Reprographic operator Aged 30, saved a drowning boy from the canal at Thamesmead, but sadly was unable to save himself June 7, 2007 - the only recent addition to the memorial |
The Memorial is a significant location in Closer (2004), the Mike Nichols film which stars Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law and Natalie Portman. The latter two visit it, and it's not giving too much away that Portman's character shares a name with one of the women featured - Alice Ayres, who died in Union Street, Borough, SE1 in 1885.
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| Alice Ayres, Daughter of a bricklayer's labourer Who by intrepid conduct saved 3 children from a burning house in Union Street Borough at the cost of her own young life, April 24, 1885 |
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