12 minute read
From Paris to Brixton
Robert Evans’ grave in Oslo
Tragic story of a Brixton war hero
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More than 75 years ago a letter arrived at 33 Foxley Road in the Vassal district of Brixton.
It told Ralph Evans, father of Able Seaman Robert Evans that, more than two years after he had been reported “missing on war service” in 1942, the grave of his son had been discovered in Norway.
Author Glyn Evans, no relation, who has discovered and written about the tragic fate of Robert Evans, would be interested to hear from anybody who may have information about the family. Please contact the Brixton Bugle if you can help.
Robert Paul Evans was part of the secret operation TITLE to try to sink the German battleship Tirpitz, which threatened British and Allied shipping.
Tirpitz itself has a roundabout link with Brixton. Its supply ship, captured by the British, later became the Empire Windrush.
Operation TITLE would have seen an attack on the Tirpitz by “human torpedoes” – 22-foot mini-submarines controlled by two men in special diving suits riding astride them. They could dive to depths of 27 feet.
Two of the torpedoes were secured to the fishing boat Arthur, which set off for Norway where the Tirpitz lay at anchor, but a violent storm dislodged them and they sank.
Robert Evans was one the Arthur’s crew who, after the boat was scuttled off Norway, tried to make their way to the relative safety of Sweden – a neutral country.
But in an encounter with Norwegian police, he was shot and, following standing orders for such situations, he was abandoned to become a prisoner of war.
It was not known then that Hitler himself, infuriated by Allied “commando” raids, had ordered that anyone taking part in one and captured should be killed.
So it was that Robert Evans, after being interrogated by the Gestapo, was shot with a bullet in the back of the head on 19 January 1943. He was 21.
He was buried in an unmarked forest grave that was not discovered until September 1945.
Evans now lies in a civilian cemetery just outside the Norwegian capital of Oslo.
It’s worth meeting Richie Littler just for his wonderful Scouse accent – but, despite being born in Wallasey on the Wirral, he has lived in South London for most of his life, writes Simone Richardson.
Grooveschool, the charity he founded, runs projects to nurture young people’s engagement and creativity. The aim is to make accessible something from which enjoyment and creativity can flow.
Groveschool’s website is full of testimonials from teachers and others to how it has changed the lives of young people.
Richie’s father introduced music to him through his record player. “I would spend time in the back room playing records, looking at the covers and reading the lyrics,” he says.
“I used to listen to mixtapes after going to clubs and then I started to buy 12-inch dance records around 1992. My collection then moved into US imports, European and UK House.
“Once I came to study for a degree in culture and belief systems at Thames Polytechnic, I met a few like-minded music lovers, record collectors and partygoers.
“Within a year or so, we had started our own student union nights. I spent my student loan on a pair of Technics turntables and away we went.”
Music probably helped us all through the lockdown and Richie explains how he coped not teaching or doing the DJing.
“Lockdown was tough. We weren’t granted access to the space for Grooveschool that we’d just moved to and, although we kept going with an online provision, it really wasn’t ideal. But since everything lifted again last July we’ve regained our mojo.”
Grooveschool runs workshops on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and members’ sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We have a number of volunteer tutors and two senior members who assist,” says Richie. Pupils can gain Rockschool Level One in music production.
“Mondays at Lavender Hope at the Deronda community hall in Tulse Hill is for the younger members, eight-12 years. On Tuesday we focus on DJ and live electronic instrument performance in our Brixton space; Wednesdays we go into more detail with music production.
“These sessions run throughout term-time. Any beginners – or at whatever level you come to us – we will take the time to work out how best we can support you through your journey and provide a pathway.
“Pupils return again and again, benefitting from that consistency.
“Adult sessions are mainly private and we run one-to-one, pairs or small group.
“Our parent/child time slots are well received. They are mainly on Saturdays. So a birthday present or gift, for instance, may be four introductory sessions for £100.
“You’d learn how to put a track together and come away with an arrangement and quick mixdown of your creation.
“If you were concentrating on the DJ element, the goal would be a DJ mix.
“We get all levels coming for coaching, from beginners to Radio 1 breakthrough DJ artists or Beatport Number One producers.”
Grooveschool offers DJ lessons to all ages and abilities. “We do one-to-one, paired and small group sessions. We have some spaces and workshops that are free for those on low incomes,” says Richie.
“For those who can afford it, we ask for a reasonable contribution to the charity each term.
“For the older participants we do charge, It’s all reasonable, so please enquire.”
Grooveschool, Youth Innovation Hub, 3Space International House, Canterbury Crescent, SW9 7QD. grooveschool.org
When style is more important than coordination
Sonia Abdallaoui has danced her way from Paris to Brixton to the rhythm of street moves. Simone Richardson hears about some of the steps
Sonia Abdallaoui grew up near the Paris landmarks of Notre Dame cathedral and the Louvre museum, brought up by her mum Khauja from Oran in Algeria and her dad Khafilia who hails from the Saharan region of Algeria.
“I started dancing when I was really young,” she says. “When I was mixing with different gangs, my mum decided to pay for me to do proper street dance classes for me to stop mixing up with the street gangs.
“I started professional street dance classes with the pioneer of the macarena, Mia Frye.
“I love street dance because the style is more important than the coordination.”
Also a fan of classical and ballet styles, Sonia has used dancing to cope. In many different ways it has helped her progress to where she is today.
She danced through lockdown, practising in her living room and organising dance challenges for grime and reggae artists from all around the world.
“I also featured on Instagram doing a dance freestyle on a famous reggae artist Bounty Killer which had 22,000 views.”
Sonia has worked with many other music artists and dancers.
Her lessons for children are every Saturday in Brixton, with others for adults throughout the week.
“I’m happy to have opened Brixton Dance School 10 years ago and teach ballet induction and street dance from four-year-olds to 15-year-olds.
“The kids are so talented in Brixton and the parents are so wonderful too.
“They always spoil me every Christmas with presents and cards.
“My dance classes are every Saturday and are only £2. I make them available for everyone in my community. They don’t have to book – they can just turn up.
“I’m also open every half term holiday.
“I love Brixton and the mixture of ethnicity. I love Brixton market and Brixton Village. “I love the Jamaican people – they are so nice and they love foreigners and they are the most talented dance people to me in the world! “The food is amazing, and the fact that Bob Marley was here many times and also David Bowie and Vincent
Van Gogh – it’s full of history.
“Brixton academy – we have been there so many times to see many superstars perform.
“I also performed there twice in the past with my dance group called Ghetto Posh.
“I just love Brixton and I love the Lambeth Country Show. Every year Lambeth gives me the chance to perform.”
Ferndale Community Sports Centre, Nursery Road, SW9 8PB 020 7738 6834 For children aged 4–15 Ballet induction 3–3.30pm Street Dance 3.30– 4.30pm 5–8yrs Street dance 4.30–5.30pm 9-15yrs £2 per session
Nelly Roberts at work
Nelly Roberts’ grave to be marked at last
On Saturday 2 April lifelong Brixton resident and orchid artist Nelly Roberts will be remembered by the placing of a plaque on her unmarked grave in Lambeth cemetery near St George’s hospital in Tooting.
She lived all her life – from 1872 to 29 March 1959 – at 72 Loughborough Road.
For 56 years she was the official orchid artist of the Royal Horticultural Society, painting up to 5,000 award-winning orchids and private commissions.
Some of her work is in the collection of the South London Botanical Institute in West Norwood.
She was discovered as a teenager when a passing orchid-fancier saw one of her paintings in the window of her father’s jewellery shop on Loughborough Road. She never moved and never married – a possible reason may be her younger sister, cruelly described as an “imbecile” in the 1939 census. The ceremony is talking place two years later than planned because of Covid and lockdowns.
It is one result of a Heritage Lottery funded project organised by a local tenants and residents association – LEAF, standing for Loughborough, Evandale, Akerman, Fiveways, four local roads. Details at bit.ly/LR-histories
Margie Campbell, who uses the name Martias for her work, is a fully trained holistic therapist and reiki master and shares her skills with many around the Brixton area, writes Simone Richardson.
Born and bred in Sheffield with parents of Jamaican heritage, she moved to London and, after living in many places, says: “I was never really settled in until I came to live in Kennington”.
Her career, too, has been a journey with many stopping points.
“I enjoyed cooking at school and when I left I went into catering but realised very quickly it wasn’t for me!” Margie says.
“I kinda stumbled into various different jobs thereafter from childcare to hairdressing. Then I trained to be a holistic therapist. I now know I’ve reached my final destination.” She explains: “l love my work. I enjoy the physical aspect of it, and l enjoy helping people, physically and emotionally, and spiritually. I went into holistic therapy, because l wanted to treat the whole body.”
Margie did not cope well with Covid and lockdown. “l became terribly depressed and the lack of contact and interaction really affected me. From being very sociable to being a recluse was very hard.
“If it wasn’t for my kids, I don’t know what would have become of me. Marcus, 16, and Mattia, nine, kept me going.”
Margie’s regular day now is taking Mattia to and from school, seeing two clients a day – morning and afternoon –using her cooking skills for her children’s meals and relaxing herself through meditation.
Since lockdown, Maggie’s own therapy for herself has been regular visits to Brixton.
Her love of it has helped her manage her own inner tranquillity.
“I love my life again,” she says. “I enjoy the multicultural vibe of Brixton and the sense of community, where I go regularly to the market, and enjoy looking around at different styles and genres of music and cultures.
“I have always been into arts and crafts,and often go to Brixton market, where l love finding interesting objects and prints.
“I like interior design also, mixing the old with the new
“I really feel like I’m back on my feet and just love life.’’
Martias: 07525 080927
Margie Campbell – ‘I love my work’
The importance of being organised
Do you have a to-do list that is never completed and clutter that just won’t go away? You should talk to Rachel Mitchell – which is what Simone Richardson did
“If you want anything done fast, efficiently and thoroughly and needed it yesterday … it’s Rachel to the rescue!”
That’s one of many testimonials to the work of Herne Hill based professional organiser Rachel Mitchell. She’s the driving force behind Please Organise Me which she founded nine years ago.
Having a young family, “I understand just how stressful life can be and the importance of being organised,” she says.
“Often in a small business, or a family, you don’t have the support to deal with the constant stream of seemingly small jobs that crop up.”
When friends, who were struggling with their own work and family commitments, started asking her advice, she thought “I could do that!” and the idea for Please Organise Me and becoming a professional organiser was born.
She explains: “After having two children and on my third house renovation, I decided to take a break.
“I became pretty bored after about six weeks and started to consider what I could do that would fit around the kids.
“At this time I became friends with a rather lovely and rather disorganised lady.
“It was after organising her bedroom as a trial that I realised that this was my passion and I was rather good at not only decluttering but also styling spaces.
“I established Please Organise Me and, to date, I still have the same enthusiasm.”
Rachel has lived in South London since, moving to Herne Hill around 20 years ago.
“I don’t really have a typical day, and that’s what I really love about the business,” she says.
“Each week I will be helping clients declutter and style their homes and also create effective organisational systems that will make life easier. The majority of clients are based in London and it’s great when we have local clients.
“Many come through word of mouth. I seem to have been particularly successful on Fawnbrake Avenue in Herne Hill where I have helped more than five households!’
Rachel loves living, working and socialising in Brixton. “I’ve been here for around 20 years and love the culture, food, nightlife and the people. I feel very privileged to have everything that Brixton has to offer on my doorstep.
“Brixton has so many aspects that I use in different parts of my life. Canova Hall and its beautiful space to be able to work from. Morleys for its old school department store vibe that never lets you down. The Ritzy for showing independent films. Brixton Village for such a wide range of restaurants and shops. Prince of Wales for its wicked sound system and great line-up of DJs. Brixton Art Club for it’s showcase of amazing contemporary art and its lovely bar.”
