In 1908, the school associated with St. Mary's Church celebrated its 200th anniversary. At this time it had 110 pupils and 4 teachers. The week-long celebration drew many notables from both England and Germany. In 1913, the school had expanded to 140 pupils, of whom only 95 were German. The others were English who were attracted by the quality of education. One strong feature was the bilingual education. The school claimed that its graduates always obtained good positions.
In the Church itself, Pastor Wardenberg estimated that about two thousand Germans identified themselves with the Church, though less than one hundred (heads of households) were pew holders, i.e., they paid a rent on a pew.
In 1911, around 70,000 Germans lived in England, with more than a half of these in the Greater London area. In 1914, there were ten Protestant German congregations in London.
A decisive turning point for the Germans in Britain was the outbreak of the First World War. Neighbors suddenly turned into enemies. The English were gripped by "Germanophobia". Up to November of 1919, 23,571 Germans were repatriated. Pastor Wardenberg took on the functions that had been performed by the German consulate, but he had to leave 23 April 1915. St. Mary's fell on very hard times. The English harassed the Church members and intimidated them.
St. Mary's school was the only German school that was permitted to remain open during the war. At the end of the war, the Church was a shell of its former self. To meet its pressing financial needs, the church building was rented to the Wesleyans for shared use. The school fared a little better, but during the war it had attracted Jewish and Catholic children. The return to a strictly Lutheran school was delayed. In 1932, when a school inspector came from Germany, he denounced the school as not being German. This was important as the school received financial aid from Germany.
The Church itself began to return in 1927 to what it had been. By 1932 the six German Protestant congregations in London had been restored to between 250 and 500 members each. A new phase in their history begins about this last date which will have to wait for the next note for discussion.
(21 Mar 05)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.