According to Tubby Clayton, Edmund Street was one of the best of Talbot House’s earliest friends. Certainly, he was a great Christian, and a valiant soldier, which is why Tubby wanted his sword to rest in All Hallows. And for many years it did, in a special sword rest next to John Croke’s tomb, and the Prince of Wales’ Silver Lamp. It still rests in All Hallows stored safely in a vault, but never seeing the light of day, no longer a visible symbol of valour. And that is what this appeal is really about.

It is my intention, with the co-operation of All Hallows, and Talbot House, to raise the funds required to restore the sword to its former glory. Moreover, we are looking for someone to recreate the sword rest in which it once stood.

The full story can be read in this blog https://tochcentenary.wordpress.com/2026/03/05/restoring-the-sword-of-major-edmund-street-dso/

It is not clear when it was removed from the church. From the Spring of 1930 it was probably moved to the entrance of the Lady Chapel paired with that of VC winner, Sydney Woodroffe’s which stood on the opposite side (Woodroffe died at Hooge on the same day as Gilbert Talbot) . Possibly the sword was removed for protection when the Second World War broke, or maybe it was recovered from the wreckage when the church was bombed. The stand was lost and the sword ended up in a silver vault in the crypt.

Now we want to restore it. The cost of getting a sword professionally refurbished is a little over £420. We also want a sum to enable the reconstruction of a metal sword stand similar to the original. I am hoping that we might find a talented soul amongst our circle of friends who could make that at cost. To allow for the raw materials and for any incidentals such as transport, I am setting the target of the GoFundMe at £800. Should we not need all of that or if we exceed the target, I will ensure all excess is split equally between All Hallows and Talbot House.

Once the sword is restored, the plan is it will go to Talbot House to be displayed for long term display, after which it will return to All Hallows.

So, I ask three things of you

Thank you

Steve Smith March 2026