Congregational Memorial Hall Secretary at the time that the old building was demolished, it fell to Honess to oversee the vacating of the building: "Most of the paintings were rescued by the then manager of the Trust and Library, Bernard Honess, from the basement of the old Memorial Hall, where they had been rolled up in newspaper and forgotten when the building was requisitioned during the Second World War. Bernard had them valued, repaired and reframed. They now form a natural extension of the records of the Library and in particular they provide faces for at least some of those Independent and Congregational ministers in the Surman index."
1949 Honess was Managing Director of Independent Press Limited based at Memorial Hall and publisher of hymn books.
Source: , .
Bernard Honess was born on 24 September 1906 in Brixton, London, a son of Charles Honess (b.1876) and Alice Lilian Honess née Hook (1878-1948). His birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1906 in the Lambeth Registration District, London. On 10 October 1906 both he and his elder brother, Leslie Valentine Honess (1902-1919), were baptised in St Saviour's Church, Lambert Road, Brixton Hill, Lambeth, London, where the baptismal register shows his date of birth, that his family lived at 61 Mendora Road, Lambeth and that their father was a dyer and cleaner.
He was shown as aged 4 years and at school when his father completed his census return form on 2 April 1911. He was living in six rooms within 61 Mendora Road, Lambeth, with his parents and two of his surviving siblings: Leslie Valentine Honess - also at school and Emil Honess (1909-1924), his maternal aunt Ellen Louisa Hook (b.1887), together a male and a female boarder. His father described himself as a dyer and cleaner. He also stated that his wife had given birth to four children but that only three were still alive.
Having attended Holy Trinity School, off Carlisle Street (now Carlisle Lane), Lambeth, on 25 August 1913 he attended Mitcham Lane School, Lambeth, until 27 March 1918 when he went to Aristotle Road School, Clapham, London.
He was described as aged 14 years, 9 months and a junior clerk employed by Messrs. J. H. Percival Ltd. at Valentine Place, Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 on the census return form completed by his widowed mother on 19 June 1921. He was living within four rooms at 61 Medora Road, London, SW2, with his mother and his brother Emil Honess who was shown as in whole time education. His mother described herself as on home duties and dyer's pressing, working on her own account from home.
Electoral registers from 1928 to 1935 show him and his mother listed at 55 Mendora Road, London, SW2 and from 1937 to 1938 at 127 Newlands Park, London, SE26.
The England and Wales Register that was compiled on 29 September 1939 shows him listed as a publisher's manager, living at 27 Dukesthorpe Road, London, SE26, with his mother.
On 12 May 1944 he was appointed as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and confirmed as a Temporary Sub-Lieutenant on 10 November 1944. He gained promotion to Temporary Lieutenant on 1 December 1945.
On 8 June 1949 he departed from Southampton, Hampshire, aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth of the Cunard White Star Limited line as a tourist class passenger on journey to New York, USA. The ships manifest shows him as aged 42 years and a publisher residing at 27 Dukesthorpe Road, London, SE26. He returned, arriving at Southampton on 12 July 1949 as a tourist class passenger aboard the RMS Queen Mary of the same line.
He was still listed as residing at 27 Dukesthorpe Road and as a publisher on the manifest of the RMS Mauretania of the Cunard Steam Ship Co.Ltd. line, when he deported Southampton on 13 June 1958 as a cabin class passenger on a voyage to New York, USA.
Electoral registers from 1964 to 1972 show him listed at 28 Bushey Way, Beckenham, Kent (Greater London from 1965).
His death was registered, aged 69 years, in the 1st quarter of 1976 in the Lambeth Registration District, London. Probate records confirm that his address had been Oakley, 28 Bushey Way, Beckenham and that he died on 16 January 1976. Probate was granted on 18 August 1976 and his effects totalled £50,974.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk and Andrew Behan.
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