Evening star., 1949-04-15
Americans RESTORING
London Church BIitzed
In German Bomhinqs
sy the Assoesosed Press

LONDON. April 15.-The 1874
year-old All Hallows-by-the-
Tower. blitzed and burned dean
of Londons parish churches, viii
become the city's first monument
TO American and British war dead
through the gift of an American
businessman.
Charles Summer Bird Of Wal
pole, near Boston. Mass. looked
over the debris of bomb blast and
incendiary in the shadow of the
Tower of London and offered so
tons of American steel TO finish
the job of rebuilding the ancient
shrine which dates back to 675 AID.
To the Rev. P. B. Clayton, the
vicar. his friend for nearly 80
years, he explained his motive was
to provide memorial Ito recall
from generation to generation the
comradship in arms Of thousands
of Englishmen and Americans who
died to save freedom"
American authorities and the
British Board of Trade swept
aside tariffs and other TECHNICAL
ties and All Hallows Is to be COM
pleteIy resurrected.
Materials Contributed.
Two years ago New Englanders
organized by Sumner Bird, con-
tributed the raw materials to re-
roof the famous church's north
aisle. Texas business firms hearc
of the cause and contributed u
frestore the south aisle. A yeal
later Queen Elizabeth laid the
foundation stone under a canopy
of Boston and Texas steel. Mr.
Birds individual effort provide.
for the rebuilding of the great nave
and thus completes the whole
structure.
The gesture adds another gen
to the treasure of Anglo-Ameri
can associations that enrich TIT
history of the church. Seven.
teenth century colonlsts prayed
there before embarking for the
New World.
William Penn, born across thu
street, worshipped in All Hallows.
Jehn Quincy Adams, sixth Pres.
ident of the United States, wa.
wed there in 1897 to Louisa Kath-
leen johnson "of the parish of All
Hallows" while on his way to the
court of The Hague as Ambassa-
dor of the newborn Union.
Mrs. Sumner Bird, the former
Miss Julia Appleton. is member
of a family intricately interlocked
with All Hallow's tradition.
Link With New England.
Blind Chapel Court. near the
church, is a corruption of Blanche
Appleton Manor, the London home
of the Appletons when they were
away from Farlingfield, near Sud-
bury. in Suffolk. From Farling-
field in 1882 Richard Appleton sci
out for the new colonies of Amer
ica's Eastern Seaboard, taking
with him a host of Suffolk emf
grants.
From their settlements was
fashioned the district between
Boston and Cape Cod which still
echoes the names of old English
farms and townships and houses
the descendants Of many of those
who kept their devotions with the
Appletons in All Hallows by the
Tower.
Mr.. Bird himself is a descend
ant Of Thomas Hooker. founder
Of Connecticut.
Today All Hallows is thronged
with workmen pile-driving tons of
American steel rods around the
Roman foundations exposed by
Nazi airmen in December. 1910.
Set among the historic memories
of this bloody mound of Old Lon
don. it has been a haven for some
of the city's largest congregations
in its contemporary duties.
Vicar Greeted in Boston.
Vicar Clayton. one of Britain's
most colorful and beloved clergy
men cI preach short sermons-I
can't keep serious more than 20
minutes, is chaplain to King
George vi, a companion Of honor
in the same year as Winston
Churchill and South Africa's Field
Marshal Jan Smuts, and padre to
Britain's vast oil tanker fleets.
Boston greeted him during a
tanker trip in 1912 when he re-
newed his friendship with the
Sumner Birds. and 1t was across
the gangplanks Of tankers that he
was introduced to the generosity
of Texas oil ports that same year.