IN MEMORIAM TO THE 2007 HOMELESS DEAD.

Yesterday's ecumenical event of the "Annual Service of Commemoration for the Homeless People Who Have Died in
the Past Year," which is held annually at London's dis-
tinquished St. Martin-in-the-Fields at Trafalgar Square,
was a worthy service indeed. With around 300 people
gathering for the moving service, 127 known names of
the homeless dead were respectfully read and marked
for each person in remembrance of the him or her. I
was privileged to read one of the four blocks of names.
I also added a few personal comments to the gathering
the need to hve a national memorial to the homeless dead.
Perhaps one day such will be done ...

Here, then, I list each of those names in the order in
which they were presented at the service that was
graciously officiated by the Rev'd Liz Russell and by
Anglican reader Roger Shaljean. Roger is the key man be-
hind organising the annual service that seems to be
growing in more importance by each year under his
able direction and thoughtful dedication ... For the
past 40 years or more, he has been with St. Martin's
first as a social worker there and later as director
of St. Martin's Care Unit. We give thanks for Roger
and Rev'd Liz and St. Martin-in-the-Fields ...

First Set of Names:
Thomas Aiken : Ahmed Ali : John Allen : Ray Angel

Nicholas Barnes : Joe Barrett : Krystoff Bednarski

Michael Behan : Tim Bennett (Count) : John Berry

Lisa Blake : Mark Bond : Kevin Bradshaw : John

Breslin : Rachel Bridgeman : George Burgess

Colin Burns : Albert Butler : Patrick Byrne : John

Caniffe : James Carney : John Cary : Chris Chandler

Paula Coker : Bob Collie : John Collins : Rayley

Conrad : Terry Coster : John Creavey : John Curry

Robert Cusick : Marek Czuwki : Thomas Dale : Clifford

Davies : Arthur Day : David Dickie : Sean Dillon

Cathleen Doyle : Thomas Doyle : Richard Draper

Michael Duffy : Dougie Durham

Second Set of Names:
Theresa Ertus : Peter Evans : Peter Famer : Patrick

Flynn : Michael Foley : John Fraser : Patrick Gallagher

Bert Gaughan : Terry Gibson : Leslie Haggan : Alison

Hennah : David Higginson : Karl Hodgkinson : Jim

Hollingsworth : Craig Hooper : Chris Hornett : Shane

Howarth : Damon Humphries : Michael Irvine : Arthur

Jeffrey : Shane Joslin : Arunasalam Karunathatan

Steve Kumarlea : Bryan Lawson : Donald Lee

Richard Lewtey

Third Set of Names:
John McCarthy : Ian (Marge) McKenzie : James McLean

Neil McLeod : Angus McNab : Dereck Miller : Andy

Morgan : Kenneth Morgan : Philip Morgan : Brian Mark

Morley : Bernard Morris : Maureen Moynihan : Edward

Munnelly : Kevin Murphy : Richard Murphy : Michael

Murtagh : Sabina Mustafa : Donald Naylor : Lee Newton

John Nicholls : Olivia Nwoyne : Thomas O'Brien

Don (MacDonald) Parris : Jackie Queen : Norman Riley

Michael Ripley : Stanley Edward Roberts : Arthur

Rotherham : Theophilus Ryan

Fourth Set of Names:
Moses Sendawula : Brian Smith : Anthony Somerville

Ray Southwell : Raquel Speed : Walter Spencer

Stuart Spencerly : Colin Standrin : Jaciek Stangreciek

John William Stanton : Andrew Stewart : Timothy Stewart

Gene Stuart : Eddie Sumpter : John Surath : Patrick

Tighe : Peter Tindall : Stephen Tracy : Barnard

Ward : Samuel Joseph Ward : Alan Welsh : John Weston

Roger Wethersfield : Fred Wheeler : Annie White : Sidney

Wildego : Philemon Yombo-Djema : (Ziggy) Zbigniew

In the coming year, if you are aware of any homeless
person who has died please be sure to contact me with
their name, age, place of death, cause of death (if known)
or any news report about such a person's death. I will
then add each name you send to the annual list of the
homeless dead in the United Kingdom. Put in the subject
line the words "Homeless Death" and please send to thebiggerissue@k.st as soon as you are aware of such a
person's passing.

More of my comments are set below about some of the
people who attended this year's service at St. Martin's,
which is undergoing a $US72 million renovation of the
church itself. What's been done so far of the interior
is simply and truly magnificent ...

Also, a quick note for all to remember:
On Sunday, December 2nd, 2oo7, at 7:55AM, BBC Radio
4, will broadcast live from St. Martin's its Christ-
mas Appeal on behalf of those who are homeless ...

After the service, it was nice to first meet both Catholic Religious Sister Rosahe Hayes
and Anglican minister Gordon Mererith, who are pastoral workers at London's "The
Passage" Day Center and Night Shelter for the Homeless. Members of the Streetwise
Opera I also met again this year like last and the year before. A new member of the opera
is Vivien James, 57, whose uncle was the late Freddie Mills (1919-1965). He was a noted
British boxer in his day. He became light-weight champion of the world in 1948. Vivien's
dad Les James, 87, also attended the service. While homeless Dereck Defreitas, 56, is now
the longest serving cast member of the Streetwise Opera. I've seen Dereck performs on
other occassions, too. And, BBC Radio 4's Sally Roberts and I had a little chat during
refreshments that was so ably provided by St. Martin's. Representing The Big Issue was
Steve Farrell. He helps man TBI distribution spot at Covent Garden. He was a vendor for
3 years before he was picked to do the present distribution job ...