As it was then

[computedshorty]

A few Pictures of those in your older family who would have endured these times.

The dreaded Anderson Shelter out in the back garden no lighting or heating, just cramped with those of the faamily who could get in.

[????]

my nan just put chicken wire round the dining room table and the family all slept under that

[Mick Mac]

World War 11. Jeez I have been asleep longer than I thought.

[ratty]

My dad was brought home from evacuation by his older sister who turned up at nan and grandads at about 6 in the evening. Annoyed, my grandad told them they would have to go back the next day and as a punishment the whole family stayed in the Anderson shelter in their garden in stepney.

That night a parachute bomb (land mine?) landed opposite and blew the top story of their house into the garden. My 5 year old dad was buried down there all night and all next day before they pulled them all out. But the Anderson shelter saved all of them in 1942.

Our family never lived in that house again of course and were relocated to Southall, where I imagine they continued to get bombed to fook due to the close proximity to the rubber factory.

Dad and his sister went back to their evacuation in Denham. He died in 2000, not 1942. She is still alive!

Thanks Anderson Shelter!

[computedshorty]

Did you have to wear a gas maskin class it misted up and you wanted to take it off.

Our teacher put your name on the board if you took it off, and said, shall I tell your mum? I had to wear the one in first picture it had a mickey mouse nose.

The second picture shows the baby gas mask the baby had to tied inside withb bjust the legs hanging out, we had two for the twins, mum and myself had to use the pump all the time the were inside, I dont know what would have happened if I was at school.

The children were quite under control of the teacher.

[computedshorty]

Many of us got evacuated alone, your mother was left at the curb as the bus took you to the railway station, with a lable tied to your coat with your name and address on it.

No body knew where we would be going, when we reached our destination we were hearded into a church hall, and mothers came to choose a child to take home to look after, there were three of us and nobdy wanted or could take three, eventually the baby twins were taken away to a village called Blunderstone, I got no offers so as every one else had gone the WVS lady took me home, and I stayed with her on a farm but in another village so I could not go to see my brother & sister, who I had been sent to look after.

There was a son of the farmers who I shared a room with, we got on fine but I worried how our twinns were getting on.

Mother came to see us and because the twinns were sitting on the well top wall she feared they would fall in, so we got brought home after six weeks

[computedshorty]

We had to get onto buses and trams where the glass windows were covered in Glued net curtain to save a passenger getting cut by flying glass, there was a small section left clear but this soon got browned by the tobaco smoke on the top deck.

Imagine being inside most of the light bulbs had been removed to comply with the Black out, so you had to feel your way to a seat, once there unless you were in the seat near the window you could not see where the tram had reached, also outside it was pitch black. The bottom part of trees and lamp posts were painted white in stripes and the vehicles had shaded headlights and the front and back had to be painted white on the bumpers and side running boards, this did alow a slow moving bus to see a little bit, but trams if some thing suddenly showed if front the driver standing at the controls could not avoid it as it was guided by its rails.The tram that got blasted in Lordship Lane near Shawbury Road had all its Glass blown out.

[womanofdulwich]

Keep them coming CS, this is all good stuff :)

[computedshorty]

Remember going to the Oval or the Elephant & Castle to sleep on the Underground rails? and platform, not realy a good place to go as it was nearer to central London.

Boarding schools made the children sleep in the crypt under the church.

And now I think my matress is hard.

[computedshorty]

Not very happy times even if there was no Air Raid, those bombs that had not landed and exploded could go off at any timer.

[Atticus]

fantastic thread, many thanks.

[computedshorty]

Air Raid Shelters were built in the streets like these brick ones.

Those homes localy would take bedding to sleep on and blankets to keep warm no heating and very little lighting inside, in a corner stood a dust bin that served as a toilet, with just a sack hung for privicy, but the smell was over powering, and the sounds could not be stiffled.

Underground Shelters were dug under Peckham Rye facing the Kings Arms Pub, later the area was tatmacked over to stop rain penitration into the two shelters below.

The Morrison shelter as seen was put in a room and it was just big enough for two, these were not mucch use as a bomb dropping nearby would blow out the window frame and the glass and debris entered the wire sides of the shelter, these were heavy and often the floor gave way.

[computedshorty]

During the war large hoardings mesuring up to thirty feet by twenty feet showed War Posters, these were pasted and positioned as wall paper is done, the only difference being that the hoarding was pasted by using a very long brush on a pole, the lenght of paper then lifted on the paste brush and slid into place and the next peices added.

One of the most remembered boards was in a space that was between houses where the Police Station now stands on Lordship Lane.

The Squander Bug became a favourit with the kids.

[Otta]

When I was in primary school we did a project on WW2. I remember going to a house on CP Road (either next door to, or a coupke of doors away from the old police building on corner of CP and uplands) they still had an Anderson Shelter in the back garden.

This was late 80s though, so I suspect it will be gone now.

My dad was born 1940 and would scream when nan tried putting him in the "gas mask" cot thing (which closed like a casket and just had a little window). So my nan refused to wear a mask saying if her baby would die, so would she.

Stubborn and more than a bit scary my nan.

[computedshorty]

Posters about child evacuations

[computedshorty]

The public were encouraged to grow their own vegetables in gardens or allotments or any vacant peice of ground.

[computedshorty]

Never again

[computedshorty]

All together

[computedshorty]

Some more well worn Posters

[computedshorty]

Familier sights