A little bit of History  

“Our Dumb Friends League” was founded in 1897 to look after the welfare of animals. At the same time a private kennels was set up behind the home of an army veterinary surgeon at his home on Shooters Hill Road to house  the pets of army personnel whilst on manoeuvres or engaged in the second Boer War. In1914 the league re-opened its Blue Cross Fund, first set up during the 1914 Balkan War. The first efforts were directed at the suffering of horses - the 1st Blue Cross Hospital was in France.

The Blue Cross Quarantine Kennels at Shooters Hill were acquired at the end of World War 1 to house the dogs being brought back home by returning soldiers and families from abroad. 

In the 1930’s, these kennels provided a safe haven for service men and women's  pets and working dogs, safe in the knowledge that while they were serving their country  their animals were safe and cared for and, if needs be, they would be given a final resting place.

The kennels also took in the animals of refugees – free of charge – as refugees rarely had any money. One refugee in 1942 was a red setter called "Whisky", who had escaped with his owners from France in a small boat. They were picked up by an English Destroyer after several days at sea and "Whisky" resided at Shooters Hill for the duration of his quarantine.

By now the kennels were a truly international company. There had been dogs from France, Norway, Holland, Denmark and many other countries including one internee from Germany. In 1924 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries included the Charlton Kennels on their list of recommended quarantine stations and in the two years - 1924/25 - over 770 dogs had been quarantined there and 2,300 dogs and 1,000 cats had been boarded. It was not until 1950  that Our Dumb Friends League officially changed its name to The Blue Cross, now known simply as Blue Cross.

Today 

The pet cemetery is still there.  It is a little oasis of calm adjacent to, but not part of, Hornfair Park.  It is a timely reminder of how our servicemen and women from the 1st and 2nd World Wars and the local community cared for their animals. For those pets that are buried there the poignant inscriptions on the stones bear testament to this. The stones no longer stand in a well-tended garden, as in 1947 they were laid flat to simplify maintenance. Some of the animals probably received recognition for their war records.

There are  over 200 gravestones on the site, the earliest dated 1906 to a dog called "Paddy", and one cannot fail to be moved by inscriptions such as: “Flossie” - From six weeks we had her but age crept on with time; a dear old girl that we loved so well she will always be in our minds. Flossie died in 1939 at the age of sixteen. Another stone, now worn with time, recalls the 12 years’ military service of “Simba” with the 93rd regiment (the Argyll Sutherland Highlanders) at home, in Jamaica, China and India.

The Friends of the Pet Cemetery  (FOPC)  

FOPC was started in 2012. The aim of the group is to refresh the memorial stones, replant the garden beds, install bird and bat boxes and repair the seating (working with a group of retired gentlemen who are known as the "Men in Sheds").

The Friends aim to take the History of the Pet Cemetery into schools, teaching the value of the companionship of animals to service personnel and members of the community in their homes.

All in all we intend to make  this "Historical Gem" a special place to visit.

There is now a memorial wall where pet owners can commemorate their pet. More details are on the Memorial Wall page.

Researching the Past 

Research into the site is on-going but is difficult, as the Blue Cross records of the site were lost in a fire many years ago. This is where we'd love you, the members of the public, to help us.

• Do you know of someone who worked at the kennels?

• Do you have any memories of the kennels and Pet cemetery?

• Do you know someone who worked at the site?

• Do you know someone who had a pet buried there?

Any information will be gratefully received to help us piece the history of the Blue Cross Pet Cemetery together.

Any donations will be gratefully received and go towards the maintenance of the pet cemetery, so making it an inviting place to visit, to stop and  pause for a few moments and reflect on all that has happened here, and the animals and people who passed through this site. To donate see the Help us page

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