The Union Jack Club - Waterloo Road

[Plummiegirl]

My gran was a waitress at the Union Jack Club in the 1920's.  The old Edwardian building was demolished in the 1970's and a new larger builiding is now on the site (still U.J.S).

I have contacted both the Union Jack Club & the London Metropolitan Archives and neither has any of their old records.

Any idea where to go now?  Does anyone out there know of anyone who has researched this place or is the official archivist?

[bigjon]

Hi
I think I remember staying overnight at a hotel of the same name.
It was owned and run by the M.O.D. and provided cheap accomadation for servicemen passing through London.
Sorry if I have the wrong place - memory not what it used to be.

bigjon

[Just Claire]

Hi

I have my Grandad's WWI diary and he stayed overnight at the Union Jack Club on 6th April 1918 on his way back home on a leave period from being in Salonika whilst on his way to Gloucestershire.

 A day or so later he learnt that his mother had died whilst he'd been away on service and it was his lowest point in the whole diary.

Claire

[Bilge]

I would suggest that the Old records for the Union Jack Club are probally in the national archive.
Have you done a check with them yet?

http://www.ujclub.co.uk/history.asp

[Plummiegirl]

Thank you all for your replies.  Will try Kew (never thought of there. senior moment!!)

The new building still does the same work as always providing cheap clean accomodation for servicemen & their families when in London.

I remember the old building which was lovely, but had limited accomodation (I grew up not far from there) & the new
building looks rather like a tall office block.

UPDATE:  Have looked at the records kept at Kew online and they all appear to be about many of the clubs overseas, with the exception of a group of photographs taken by Harry Lloyd (?) in the 1920's.  My thought horrifying as it may seem is that when the old building was demolished in the 1970's that all the old records, fixtures & fittings etc., were just thrown out.

[krazy kath]

Just viewed your e-mails and I too have been looking without success for records on Union Jack Club.  My dad trained as a butcher at the club in the 1930's.  He came from Lancashire.  Still will keep looking

[Garrod]

Hi

If you look at history of the Union Jack Club on the Wikipedia site, there is an old picture of the club prior to demolition.

[Jeuel]

Years ago when I was a member of the Library Association (now the Chartered Institute of Librarians & Information Professionals) we got preferential rates to stay at the Union Jack Club, but I never took advantage of it.

[bykerlads]

I remember staying at the Union Jack Club as a child in the late 1950's. It was a family holiday to London, our first visit to the capital. My father had served in the forces in WW2, so we benefitted from the cheap but clean and suitable accommodation. Without access to the club my parents would not have been able to afford to take us to London ( from Yorkshire).
I can't recall much about it except my dad's usual careful examination of the fire-escapes etc.- he was a part-time fireman so every place we stayed at was subject to his expert scrutiny- we were then shown the escape routes.
It is a habit which has stayed with me - I always check when in a hotel and always look out of the windows too - though quite how I imagine I'd escape from the 4th floor I'm not sure!!