St John's Cathedral, Brisbane and the Anzac Legend

In the South Transept of the Cathedral may be found a stone capital from the ruins of the Church of All Hallows, Barking, adjacent to the Tower of London. During the Second World War (1939-1945), this ancient church was bombed and almost destroyed by the German Air Force (the ‘Luftwaffe’) during the London Blitz. The Church’s vicar was the Reverend Philip ‘Tubby’ Clayton CH, who had been born in Queensland and who had founded an internationally- renowned Christian movement for social service known as ‘Toc H.’ Toc H originated as a respite club for allied troops near Ypres on the Western Front during the First World War, bringing solace and comfort to many soldiers of all ranks. All Hallows was, and still is, the Guild Church of Toc H. After the war, All Hallows was rebuilt. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Elizabeth, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1948. Attending the foundation ceremony was the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, the Most Reverend Reginald Halse, and he brought back to Brisbane the stone capital which had been plucked from the ruins of the Church. The Cathedral authorities attached it to the wall of the South Transept. The stone was unveiled by the Reverend ‘Tubby’ Clayton when he visited the Cathedral in 1952. The stone was installed in part to honour the Toc H movement but, as you look at it, you can see that it evokes another story. The stone is still blackened by the smoke from the German bomb which destroyed All Hallows, and its appearance is a reminder of the damage and suffering endured by the British people at the hands of the Luftwaffe. But the stone also recalls the contribution made by Australian airmen to the defence of Britain during the German air attacks. By 1940 the German Army, under the control of Germany’s dictator Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime, had overrun much of Europe. Only the British Isles and its Empire, which included Australia, stood in Hitler’s way. During 1940 and 1941 the Luftwaffe conducted mass air attacks on Britain, initially on Royal Air Force (RAF) bases and radar stations, in an attempt to gain air superiority prior to a potential German invasion of Britain. The campaign then switched to mass bombing of industrial targets, and towns and cities, especially London. In September 1940 alone an average of 238 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped on London every 24 hours.

Opposite page: The stone capital in the South Transept of St John’s Cathedral taken from the ruins of All Hallows Church, Barking after the church was bombed by German aircraft during the London Blitz of 1940.

Denzil Scrivens

The ruins of All Hallows Church, Barking after its bombing during the London Blitz.

Adey Grummet

55