apparently in the late 18th C. workers in the City of London set to raise a volunteer army to fight in S. Africa (Boer or Zulu?). a lot of these City boys lived in Honor Oak Park, SE London and travelled in by train.
the station master was particularky well liked and he volunteered for the force causing concern among his customers of the wellbeing of his wife and family so they set up a fund called the Cheerful Sparrows to care for his family. The idea took off and several branches of the Cheerful Sparrows were set up in the South East. Of these only the Margate branch is still operating and have opened a ward in the QEQM Hospital called Cheerful Sparrows ward. Will have the exact story soon as the history is on the wall of the ward and my mother is being admitted tomorrow and was telling me as I used to live in Honor Oak Park