Campaigners are calling for a specially-decorated Royal Mail post box to be reintroduced in Barnes permanently to honour children’s author Judith Kerr.
The original post box on Barnes High Street was one of four decorated to recognise British children’s authors for World Book Day in March and was there for one month.
It was decorated with illustrations from her most popular books like The Tiger Who Came to Tea and residents are campaigning for the post box to become a permanent monument.
Editor of the Barnes Village Bugle Sarah Arthur said: “She died not that long ago, and we’ve been thinking of ways to have some kind of memorial to her and she loved that post box when it was done.
“I was very proud to have her as part of our community and that’s why as community we want to recognize that she lived with us in Barnes.
“She’s a very important figure not just for Barnes but for the country.”
Kerr died in May at the age of 95 after a short illness. The Tiger Who Came to Tea is filled with references to Barnes and the area she had lived in since 1962.
She was very popular with the children in the area and attended the annual Barnes Literature Festival when she was well enough.
The children were so fond of her books, said Ms Arthur.
She would go on long walks around the river everyday and shop in all the local shops.
Ms Arthur said: “Everybody thought she would go on forever. She’d had the most extraordinary life.
“You would always see how striding down the road, she was always full of energy.”
Kerr’s book When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit was about her story as a child, when her family fled Germany in the 30s and she left behind her pink toy rabbit.
The book was made a part of the national curriculum in Germany so that young children can start to understand the past.
The online petition has gained more than 1,300 signatures since it was first published three weeks ago.
