Have you been a resident in ED since 1945? can you remember these?

[BARA]

BARA are putting on a local history exhibition on 16th October and asking people what they remember in ED post WW2.

Does anyone remember;

The original North Cross Road Market ( 1950/1960s) What stalls and days operating.

Home and Colonial Stores.

United Dairies.

Pullins Cars /Motor Bikes.

Kingsnorth Butchers.

The Riveria Restaurant and any other restaurants pre 1975 in LL.

The Muffin Man

Getting money back on returned glass bottles at the off licence

Goslings Grocers.

Drapers/Costume shops.

Steam laundries.

We are spending our time in the Local Studies Library - to look at the shops and businesses in LL but would welcome people's memories. Please post on here or send to BARA c/o East Dulwich Community Centre, Darrell Road. SE 22 8ND

[computedshorty]

Minimax.

Pullins Cars /Motor Bikes.

I bought an engine in about 1953 that was attached behind the saddle on my Bicycle from Pullin?s in Lordship Lane, these were Italian but built is the Trojan Motor factory in Purley Way next to the entrance of the Croydon Airport.

The thing that was not in its favour was it made the bike top heavy, there was no clutch so it could only be started by lowering the engine onto the tyre of the back wheel by a lever that was to be found to the right of the drivers right hip, this was a small grooved roller that was forced onto the tyre.

To start the engine turn on the petrol tap, there was no hand twist accelerator, a lever was to the right hand that was set to just slightly at speed,

You mounted the cycle peddled like mad to get up speed then reached behind you for the lever to lower the motor onto the wheel, once it came into contact the cycle nearly came to a sudden stop, or started the engine , and you the adjusted your speed.

When you neared a traffic light you slowed down, trying to judge that you did not have to stop, if you did you had to disengage the motor from the wheel, and peddle off then lower the engine onto the wheel again, this was particularly difficult when wanting to turn right across oncoming traffic, as you had to give hand signals letting go of the handlebars, releasing the engine, then lowering it again to move forward.

The engine only held less than a pint of petrol and had to have oil mixed with it before putting into the petrol tank. I used it daily to get to work.

The road surface was in places made of Tar Blocks these were brick shaped blocks laid on the narrow side and liquid tar poured between each block a thin covering of top tar covered them and a thin coating of small stones but in time the top tar wore away leaving just the blocks, when a frost or snow cover these it became very dangerous when turning, as I found one morning turning right at the corner of Dutch Boy Bagwash Laundry in Peckham Hill Street into Peckham Park Road. The engine failed to disengage and I continued at speed round the corner, the back wheel buckled and I was thrown off landing among a stack of white bags of washing waiting to be taken into the Wash house.

There was a number plate fixed to front and back of the cycle, and a circular tax disc fitted to the front forks. I had to half drag the damaged bike to my place of work. Needless to say my next vehicle had four wheels.

There were many types of these mini motors, the best I think was the one inside the wheel.

[JOHNNYtheGOONer]

Excellent storry, thanks!

[computedshorty]

United Dairies.

There used to be a United Dairies Grocery Shop on the corner of Melbourne Grove and Lordship Lane opposite the now Police Station, at the back in Melbourne Grove, was the delivery store warehouse where the Milk Floats & Horse drawn carts, later Electric, were loaded for the Milk rounds, the supply of fresh milk was transported from the main South London warehouse in Harleyford Road near Kennington Oval.

Due to the steep incline of Lordship Lane, no great load of milk could be transported uphill, unless the route via Whatley Road then Barry Road was used.

There was also a United Dairies Grocery shop just before the Dulwich Library in Lordship Lane, in the parade near the place where Enid Blyton once lived.

The livery of the United Dairies was Orange & White.

The early bottles were in sizes from a third of a pint, half pint , Pint. Quart ( 2 Pints ).

Those early bottles had a 2in wide top, where a cardboard and waxed lid was inserted into a recess with a pull tag to get it open, there was also a small pre cut push in disc to push in a drinking straw, the third pint bottles were mostly for the schools each child got a free bottle mid morning.

The bottles were transported in galvanised wire iron crates, these all stacked one onto another over raised four corner restraints, there was no need to have sides to the carts as they rode steady, but the carts were mainly full and as the milkman delivered it meant a lot of moving the grates about to gain access to a full crate, and move the empty bottle filled crates to the back..

The Foil aluminium cap came in later and all the old bottles were made redundant.

[computedshorty]

Goslings Grocers.

The Parade of shops in Lordship Lane around 1945 on the side leading to the Plough public house from Crystal Palace Road were.

On the corner of Crystal Palace Road , 351 Lordship Lane was Greenwoods the bakers fresh bread was baked in the bake house behind the shop. It is now the Plough Caf?.

353 Lordship Lane was the Opticians. Now it is Amazing Grace.

355 Lordship Lane was s Butchers. Now it is New Touch.

357 & 359 Lordship Lane was the Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society Grocery shop.

361 Lordship Lane was the Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society Butchers Shop.

363 Lordship Lane was the Man Crossman Chain Off Licence.

367 Lordship Lane was Rubrers the Chemist.. Now William Hill.

369 Lordship Lane was Wises Sweet Shop. Now Post Office.

371 Corner of Landells Road was Goslings Grocers. Now Spot Cleaners.

373 Lordship Lane was the Charington?s chain Off Licence. Now Dulwich Grocers.

375 Lordship Lane was Mays Undertakers. Now Uden?s Funeral Directors

379 Lordship Lane corner of Plough Lane. was a Green Grocers. Now Zin Oriental.

This three story building was severely damaged in the Blitz, and did not have the top story rebuilt until many years after the war.

The Plough Public House was a very up market place, with plush seating.

The number 78 bus terminated at the Dulwich Library, having come up Barry Road to the traffic lights the last stop to allow the passengers to get off. It then turned right into Lordship Lane and right again into the Plough Lane again turning right onto a Bus Parking Stand that could accommodate six Buses. There the Drivers and Conductors waited for the time of their return journey, having got water from the water standpipe tap in the alcove in the fence dividing it from the Plough Gardens, using the galvanised watering can to top up the steaming bus radiator. As the there was an incline running back, blocks of wood with an iron handle were available to put behind the wheel of the bus. The surface of the stand was made up of granite sets ( square stones ) it became very slippery when the oil and water from the bus got onto them. The conductor did not mind you getting onto the bus while it was on the stand as it did not stop after turning left into Barry Road.

The Bus stand has now been absorbed with the narrow fenced footpath passing between the Plough Gardens. Now makes up the Pubs Car Park.

It is interesting that just across the traffic lights, outside Val?s Greengrocers, the Number 60 Tram terminated , reversing with the aid of the Conductor inserting a lever into in to a switch box a slit in the pavement and moving the points to direct the tram to the other track, The driver had moved from his front driving cabin removing the chains across his cabin steps of the passenger entrance to allow the passengers to board, then he moved through and closing the sliding door behind him and as he passed pushed the back of the seats on each side to face the other way finally closing the door to his new driving cabin.

The conductor got aboard into the drivers cabin up the steps closing the chains to stop anybody getting on that way. He then climbed the curved staircase to the upper deck, closed the door to stop passengers going down into he drivers cabin passed along the passageway and pushed the back of all the seats to face the other way, fastening back the door to the staircase that led down to the boarding platform.

It must be remembered that all this time the Conductor carried his Money Pouch hanging from his shoulder, most of the fares cost just a few pence, but that was in old money and an old penny was about 3 Cms wide and 240 of them to the Pound, so you can imagine the weight of those coins. He also carried his Ticket Rack , a wooden rack with a row of pads clipped in of different priced tickets, each ticket had the main tram stops written so the conductor would punch a hole in it to the point of your purchase.

The ticket punch also hung around his neck, and gave a ding on each punch. A used ticket bin was near the exit but most of them got thrown on the floor to blow away with the draft.

The Driver of the tram stood up at all times while driving, just a lever to move to the right to control the speed by increasing the electric power, and a wind down wheel that engaged the brakes and foot peddle to bang down on to warn of the trams approach.

The driver was very cold in the winter although supplied with an overcoat as there was a double opening for the passengers to mount, there was no heating in the tram, often the rails were obstructed by other vehicles as there was only enough room between the curb and the rails for a car or van to be passed. Large pebbles often found in ballast used for building would fall from lorries to lodge in the groove of the rail, the tram wheel would strike them and the wheel one of four fixed to set would either smash the pebble or it would raise the wheel out of the groove or shoot it away like a bullet, if you were unlucky enough you might get hit, many a run away horse was thought to be caused by being struck by a pebble with force.

Picture of No 60 tram Att.

[computedshorty]

Getting money back on returned glass bottles at the off licence.

The Mineral Water Manufactures decided to save money by getting their own Bottles baring their own name and design returned for refilling, so they asked for a deposit of two pence on a pint bottle and three pence on a quart, the gallon earthenware flagon was six pence.

The early containers were made of a glazed earthenware bottle ( brown & white ) with a thread in the neck top, that a screw stopper also earthenware with a rubber washer sealed the top.

Children when they wanted to buy something often searched around for empty lemonade bottles and took them back to the Off Licence for the few pence. A favourite place to find them was on the beach at the seaside but the shop keeper got wise and only gave full bottles in return up to the price of the bottles and no cash.

One local firm that called door to door was Mackintosh, mum used to tell us to go out and get a gallon of Ginger Beer, it did not go far between the ten of us.

Now Glass bottles have a narrow neck sealed with a metal crown cap. Not many bottles are now returned for refill, the glass is just recycled.

There is a trend now to drink direct from a bottle not using a glass, a word of warning those bottles have from the time of filling been stored in a warehouse at the factory, been exposed in transit on the open delivery lorries along dirty roads a spray of road surface mist is deposited on the bottles, they are stored in cellars that might have vermin running around so your bottle could be very unhealthy.

After drinking at a local a man might expect to get a red kiss mark on his face, and the woman a big black smudge.

[BARA]

Many thanks for all your help - very enjoyable reading. I hope you don't mind me putting these interesting facts up at our project. Will Take off your 'tag' so not to give you any embarressment.

Can you remember anything about Charsley Watch Repairer who also trained as an optitian.

Since you are around my generation - what was the name of the 'oil shop' on the corner of CP Rd and Goodrich?

On the opposite corner was a grocers store, a butchers and a draper? I remember the bakers opp. the Castle

[computedshorty]

The Oil shop corner of Goodrich Road & Cryatal Palace Road was owned by Lashams, the Bakers was Noeth's, the ovens extended under the forecourt we used to sit there in the winter if you ignored the black cockroaches climbing over you, this psrt of the paving soon dried out when it rained, down the hill was the Fish shop it was Yorkshire Fisheries, the Green Grocers was Stallards, another popular Green Grocer "Will's" was on the corner of Landells Road the Chimney Sweep lived next to it.

[computedshorty]

The Muffin Man and others in your street .

Many street vender?s, coming along the residential roads looking to sell their wares, so had to attract the attention of the families in their homes they called out or rang a hand bell.

The Muffin Man carried a wooden tray on his head with stacked Muffins and Crumpets covered by a cloth this held the stacks in place, he would call out Muffins and rang his bell, and when stopped he lowered the tray in front of him to hang by a strap from around his neck, the chosen muffins placed in a paper bag that had to be blown into to open.

The Cats Meat Man carried on his shoulders poles that stuck out front and behind him, dried strips of black horse meat hung some looking like dried leather from the poles, this was a treat for cats that their owners could barely afford, many cats followed the seller but never got any, and eventually gave up and returned home.

The Hokey - Kokey Man rode a box tricycle inside the unfrozen box was ice just frozen flavoured chips that were handed to a buyer in a glass dish, this when handed back got a quick wipe on the apron for the next customer. Many a time the child lost the hold of the dish and the contents fell to the ground, the unfortunate child running home to tell mum.

The Green Grocer slowly made his way along, an old skinny horse pulling a loaded cart, snorting into his nose bag as the chaff from his oats got up his nose. Not many residents had a large garden where vegetables could be grown so to buy potatoes at your front door saved the carrying of the heavy basket home. Children were told by dad to follow the horse with a shovel and bucket to collect the dropped dung that got put around a struggling rose bush in an otherwise bare garden.

The Knife Man who rode a tradesman?s bicycle instead of the fixed basket in front was fixed a Portland stone circular wheel that was rotated by the peddling of the man, the back road wheel was raised up on a stand a belt drove the grinding wheel from the back raised wheel. The people came out with old dark steel knives to be sharpened, these were pressed onto the rotating wheel after many times the knives showed a distinct curve to the sharp side. These knives looked really dangerous.

The Chimney Sweep might be ordered to clean the chimney of a house but had many more customers before he had finished, he carried a bundle of cane rods that were threaded to screw into the next cane, a circular bristle brush that was put on the end of the first cane that was put through a slit in the canvas sheet that was covering the front of the fireplace and then up the inside of the chimney flue more canes were added as the canes were pushed up, and the soot finding its way into the room, we waited across the road to tell the man it had come out the top. As many chimney stacks were damaged in the Blitz there was often a blockage of bricks that had fallen down inside the flue. The sweep told you how far up it was blocked normally at the bend in the upper room to the wide brickwork side of that fire place, here a hole had to be made through the plaster and single brick wall. This was not the sweeps job many residents did their own. One perk was that he would be invited to a wedding to give luck to the newly weds.

The Rag and Bone Man also had an old horse, he called out ?Enyoldlumber? he liked old iron bedsteads pots and pans with holes in, worn out clothes and even old boots and flock and horse hair filled mattress?s, they collected empty jam jars, that?s if mum had not reused them for homemade pickled onions. That she had bought from the onion seller wheeling his bike with all the dried onions threaded together hanging from the frame.

The most unwelcome caller was the undertaker who would bring the coffin, where the departed had been laid out by a neighbour, now the open coffin was able to be viewed, either in the parlour, or propped on end with no lid where Paddy would be wished Best of Health by his old pals with a half of Guinness. The curtains remained drawn until the burial, every one wore black, and walked behind the Hearse for many blocks, neighbours lined the streets men removed their hats even if they did not know the departed even Soldiers

saluted as they passed.

The Bookies Runner stood at the corner, ready to give a warning the local Bobby that was coming, so all the doors closed and all those standing about went indoors, and the passing of betting slips stopped, but the Copper knew.

It is hard to think that back then nobody locked their front door, or even closed it, not that there was much to steal, if anybody needed anything to do a job they borrowed it from a neighbour.

[computedshorty]

East Dulwich Community Centre, Darrell Road. SE 22 8N.

It might be of interest of the existing area prior to the Blitz in the second world war.

Darrell Road backing onto Crystal Palace Road starting with the shop on the corner of Whatley Road, then a Warehouse with an upper story where a doorway opened to the street a pole protruded above it a GInny Wheel ( Steel Circular Wheel that a rope was used to pull or lower the sacks or boxes ).

The houses were continuous terraces on both sides of the road built to two stories with bay windows these were built in pairs ( Front Doors close together ) The first house No 88 was left handed entrance, The Snashfold Family lived here.

The Crystal Palace Public House, on the corner of Whatley Road, next to the pub going towards Uplands Road were three storied with shops below an entrance between the shops just along led to a Corn Chandlers Warehouse where horse drawing laden loads of straw and bags of wheat, there was always a lot of straw blowing about here, across the road facing this entrance was the last of the shops it was a Pet Shop. I can remember the baby chicks in the window under a dust bin lid hanging down with a light bulb underneath to keep the chicks warm. We bought a tabby kitten there.

Hindman?s Road was much the same two storied houses, but a more varied style some Terraces some semi detached, toward Upland Road on the right the houses were far older, and a row or shops facing.

There was the Hills Dairy depot and yard where the green milk carts loaded to deliver to the streets.

There was a Yard used by the Singer Sewing Machine Company, early morning a fleet of little vans would drive away. To return in the evening to park.

This whole area was very badly damaged in the bombing during the war, it is totally rebuilt now and very few things give a clue to how it was then.

Many of the families who had lost their home had to move elsewhere, taking any item of furniture or clothing that could be saved, it was possible to hire fruiterers wheel barrows at local shops, these were often seen loaded with the few belonging of those people and being pushed by the mum and kids very few men were still living there as they had been called into the Services, and eventually the father got a letter saying their house had gone, and the remaining family were living in a Church Hall or School that was not being used because the children had been evacuated from London.

I knew many families who lost a member killed, or taken to hospital never returning back to the area.

It is distressing to recall those, and to remember hearing the teacher when the school Register was called, a child did not reply to his name, the teacher called out again the name, a child might raise a hand and say they got bombed last night Sir! Needless to say the classroom gradually had less pupils, who would be encouraged to move to the forward desks.

We had very few Male teaches those we did have were very old or those who had been injured returned from the war, there were women one was very young . Miss Childs she said she was the sister of one of the Crew who bombed the Mohne Dam in Germany. I seem to recall over fify of those crews got killed.

[computedshorty]

East Dulwich Stream Laundry.

No 116 Lordship Lane corner of Bassano Street, the East Dulwich Steam Laundry was built much to the anger of the owner of the houses on the other corner No?s 106 to 114 Lordship Lane,, these were some of the very first houses to have been built in the Lordship Lane, it was thought that a factory was out of place so close to their four story Building. These Houses were used as a temporary Morque during the war.

The two story Steam Laundry extended along Bassano Street, with double doors that the dirty Bagwash, Blankets, Sheets Uniforms and Carpets were delivered, to be cleaned in the boiling tanks of water, the windows to the road were always open with steam coming out. further along was the doors where the cleaned and dried and ironed washing was brought out and loaded onto the company vans.

Next doors were to the boiler house, where the boiler was fed with coal that had been dumped onto the pavement, by the end of the working day the remaining coal was shovelled into the coal store. The children going to the school opposite kicked the odd piece of coal up the road. This building is now ESPH Mot Centre.

Next to this is Saint Thomas More Hall, this was called St Johns School Hall.

Next to this the shop at 118 was the Affiliated Insurance Agents run by Mr Bunce, I bought my Motor bike and later Cars Insurance there. Now the Irish shop.

There were other Laundries but they did not have shops, they collected either from a house or agents, they were Dutch Boy , Maxwell, Hatcham Cleaner these were clothing cleaning and pressing Suits and Dresses.

There was a yellow fronted cleaners shop opposite The Plough Public House corner of Barry Road named Achillie Serre. Now called Country Spray.

[BARA]

Brillant- where do you get your information from? If it is from memory then you have a fantastic one

[computedshorty]

When asked how do you remember those times so long ago I put it down to being there with no distraction of Radio, Television, Telephone, early recollections are in black and white as there did not seem to be much colour anywhere.

Memories

The Day War Broke Out ?September 1939

It was the day we were getting ready for our holiday at Margate. Mum, Dad, two elder sisters, two elder brothers, myself and the baby twins in their double pram, bags and parcels, all made our way to Herne Hill Railway Station. First a half mile walk, then the bus, As we got off the bus there was confusion, people were running about saying that war had been declared, between England and Germany. Dad said that we would have to go back home, as it would not be safe to go to the seaside, as it was on the coast near to Germany, and we may be invaded by German Soldiers or get bombed by aeroplanes. We waited at the bus stop for ages but none came. A car driver stopped, he said that no buses were running as all the bus drivers had taken them back to the bus depot ,and he asked where were we trying to get to, and Dad said, ?East Dulwich?. The driver offered to take us all home, as it was a very large car it took all nine of us, and the bags! And the pram! As we drove home Dad said to the driver, ?All I want to do is get home with my family?. In the first World War he had been a prisoner in Austria for four years. He thought that now as he was fifty-four years old he would not be called up for service abroad, although he thought he might have to join something. Aunt Ali who lived with us, she had a room on the forth floor, came running down, she was flustered, and did not know why we had returned home. I can still remember her saying , Oh my gawd! What?s happened??. Dad said it ?Its because the war had started?. Aunt knew nothing of this, but she did wonder why the church bells had been ringing all morning. Dad thought that the wireless would be broadcasting the latest news of the war. We had a radio that worked from an accumulator, that is a glass jar with lead hanging in acid with two terminals, when charged it worked as a battery. Dad always put this away after it was used into the cupboard under the stairs, and we were forbidden to go near it as we could get burnt by the acid if it were spilt. We all watched and waited while Dad fetched the accumulator, put it on the table, then got the receiver connected two wires to it, then an other wire that he pulled in through the window, The other end of this wire went up to the top of the house, down the garden to the conker tree. This was called the aerial. All these were fitted together, we all sat around the large table, all ten of us, waiting for the set to warm up, we could see the valves inside start to glow as they warmed up. Dad fiddled with the tuning knob, then we could hear someone speaking but it was foreign. Dad tried again, this time it was music, but after a while a man said ?There will be a special announcement shortly by The Prime Minister, Mr Chamberlain?!. The speech was made, we were told that a state of war was between us, nobody knew what this meant, or how it would affect us. Mum made tea, and opened the sandwiches that we were going to have on the beach at Margate.

by Shorty aged 8

[kford]

I could listen to you all day!

[computedshorty]

Memories

Children of the War 1940

The Second World War had started. Was I going to get hurt or killed? I was eight years old. What did it all mean? Some weeks after the declaration of war things started to happen. A horse drawing a cart pilled high with corrugated steel sheets, stopped outside the house and a man knocked at our front door to ask ?How many people live here?, Mum said ?Ten?. The man said with that many, we would have to have an Andersen shelter to be dug into the garden. He would leave enough parts. He and his mate brought in ten curved side panels and eight flat ones for the ends. There were channels that were to be used for the foundations to stand the corrugated iron sheets upright, otherwise the sheets would sink into the clay with the weight, an iron bar to fix the front and back, and lots of nuts and bolts with diamond shaped washers bent to fit the shape of the corrugation. Some days later two men came to dig the hole for the shelter to be put into. They dug down three feet, and fixed the shelter together in the hole, stuffed old newspapers into the gaps that were left as the ends of the sheets did not fit into the corrugations, then piled all the earth from the hole over the top of the shelter. When the men had gone we looked at the shelter, we could not see any of it from the outside only a big hump at the bottom of the garden. We got inside. We had to get in backwards and drop down feet first into the darkness inside. It smelt earthy and some of the soil was falling in past the old newspapers that did not fill the gaps fully. Later two men came to put a cement floor inside, but left a little hole to bale out any water if it got in. Water did get in , lots of it, down through the newspaper with brown clay streaking the end, and water came through the bolt holes in the roof. Some wooden bunk beds came, just a wooden frame with rigid wires nailed across to sleep on. Mum received a letter to say we must all go to the Air Raid Precaution Post on the corner of Townley Road to get gas masks, Mum, Dad, My brothers and sisters all got the same, a black one with just one window in it, and a cardboard box to keep it in, with a string to hang it over your shoulder. We were told to take it everywhere with us. I had a brown one with two windows like glasses, it had a kind of flat rubber nose sticking out with two holes in it. I found that if I was wearing it and wet the two holes and blew, it made a nice rude noise. The baby twins were next. The lady had a thing like a diver?s helmet that was made of red rubber and canvas. It was laid on its back and baby was put in head first, it came down to the baby?s hips, the arms were inside, but the legs were outside. Laces were pulled tight around the waist then tied to make it airtight. On the outside was a pump about three inches wide. This must be pumped all the time baby was inside. Mum said she wanted two. The lady showed all of us how to use the pump and said that one of us must always be there to help Mum with the babies. The baby in the gas mask was screaming, the large window in the gas mask had misted up and we could not see baby, Mum started crying and got the baby out. The lady said that if we did have to use them, she would have to make baby stay inside, we must wear them for a few minutes a day until we got used to them. When we got home Mum said she did not like them! About a month later we heard a noise out the front. We went out to find men with big hammers smashing our cast iron railings. They had been five feet high with a big gate. All the posts had a point on them. The brickwork was broken, and was left like that and was never repaired. They took away the railings for the war effort. The trams that ran past our home had curtain netting glued to the inside of the windows , so that if they were blasted the glass would not cut the passengers, but as time went by the smokers made the glass so dirty that you could not see out. A wet finger could just about clean a small hole between the strands of netting to peep through. There were no street lights, and in the fog the only thing you could see were the three white bands that were painted on the trees and lamp posts. The cars and other vehicles had shades put over their headlights, something like a tin can with a slit, just a tiny light showed. No light was allowed to show from the houses. Thick curtains had to be closely drawn. If a light did show, someone would shout ?Put that light out!?. Dad had joined the A.R.P. service as an Air Raid Warden. He had a white tin hat, a dark blue uniform and another different gas mask, a whistle and a torch. Dad worked at Peak Frean?s biscuit factory doing maintenance to the buildings by day, then in the evenings he had to go to the A.R.P.post to do duty. Sometimes he was away all night. Part of his job was to go round the public shelters. These were brick built in the streets and underground ones in the park. He had to count how many people were in each, chalk it on the blackboard in the shelter, and enter it into his note book to record back at the A.R.P. post. Incendiary bombs were dropped. He would have to dislodge them from roofs with long poles. Once they fell to the ground they could be put out with sand or with a stirrup pump, with one foot on the pump, keeping the suction part in a bucket of water, using one hand to pump and the other to direct the hose pipe. The water would make the incendiary bomb throw out white hot bits of phosphorous! Dad told us of the damage that had happened that night and of the people who had been injured, and how he had to dig people out of their bombed homes. We liked to listen to the wireless , when Dad fixed it up. We heard this man say, ?This is Germany calling. We are going to bomb London tonight?. His name was Lord Haw Haw. Dad said he was a traitor, as he was English. In fact his real name was William Joyce and he had lived just across the park from where we were living. I don?t know what I thought I was going to do, but one day several of us boys went to Alison Grove near Dulwich Park Pond and looked at the house where he had lived. We heard a piano being played and we shouted abuse and ran away. A lady came to the door, it could have been Eileen Joyce, his sister, the well known pianist, but we didn?t wait to find out. Dad always went to work on his little Coventry Eagle motor bike. He had a small ration of petrol coupons as he had to get to his wardens duties. In the morning he would get his motor bike out of the shed at the side of the house, put a wooden ramp from the step to the pavement, run his bike down, then put the ramp back in the front garden. Then he would sit astride the bike and shake it from side to side. He said this mixed the petrol and oil in the tank.. He then started the engine. He would adjust his overcoat, put on his goggles and pull on his gauntlets. Twenty minutes to eight, off he went to Bermondsey to arrive in time to change into his white overalls ready for work at eight o'clock. I remark on his preciseness as one evening he did not return at his usual time of five twenty five. It was very foggy and there had been an air raid. At half past six there was a knock at the door, Dad stood there, soaking wet, covered in clay, coat torn, no cap and cut a head. We thought that he had been blown up, but he told us what had happened. As he rode home he turned a corner in the fog. A rope had been strung across the road as a bomb had been dropped making the road impassable. The rope had caught him under the chin and he fell off. The motor bike carried on into the bomb crater, so my elder brothers went back with him to pull it out of the hole, then, half carry it back home, they all worked on it, to repair it for the next day, after lots of straightening of the metal, and adjustments, it was thought to be usable on the following day. They all came indoors and washed the oil and muck off. Mum bathed Dads head, and repaired his torn trousers and coat, the clay had dried and could be brushed off, he had not been able to find his cap. Dad started his tea but remembered he had to go to the A.R.P. post for that nights fire watch at the Dulwich Library, he was worried that he would be late.

By Shorty aged 8

[computedshorty]

Memories 1

Autumn 1940: The blitz.

Just after my ninth birthday the German planes came, bombing all around. We could see them coming in the distance in formation, the big ones in the middle, and the fighters outside. As they came they left a trail of vapour from their engines. The noise was deafening. The guns in the nearby parks sent up tracers. The outside smaller planes were much faster, fighting with our planes, leaving white criss-cross trails in the sky.

When the bombers dropped their bombs, we could see the bombs leave the planes in a row, then twist and turn , as they spread out and fall, whistling down to explode. It was time to into the shelter as even if the planes passed overhead the shells fired up at the enemy aircraft splintered and fell as shrapnel, jagged fragments that could cut you to pieces.

We were in the Andersen shelter. It was cold with only a candle to see by. After a time the iron sides would run with condensation. It ran down onto our bedding. We were very crowded in there, all ten of us, If somebody needed to go the toilet they had to step over all of us to get out of the shelter to go back to the house. I shall never understand why, with the shelter made of iron and covered in earth, the door opening had only a piece of sacking hanging down to cover it, with no protection from the direction at all.

We spent many days and nights in the shelter listening to the drone of loaded planes coming, then the whistling as the bombs fell. With each blast earth fell through the ill-fitting ends of the shelter. The vibration was constant, as if the whole shelter moved, with the noise of the guns firing all the time, and the scream of an aircraft as it plunged down to earth, then the explosion as it hit. Night time was the worst. As there was a blackout every explosion lit up the inside of the shelter, and when a building burned the inside of the shelter glowed red. You could smell the burnt sugar from Tate & Lyle?s and the acid smell from Sarson?s Vinegar Factory.

One bombing raid was very bad, Price?s Candle Factory had been hit and caught fire. The workers had taken cover in the cellars below the factory. The stocks of wax in the yard melted with the heat and a river of boiling wax found its way down to the cellars where the workers sheltered, Many were killed. After the fire was put out , the wax set hard and it took a long time to cut through to those trapped below, the air supply had been cut off as the wax filled every opening, entombing the workers.

We did have times without raids and we could see the damage that had been done. Rows of houses had gone. Parts of houses stood without roofs, just the outside walls with maybe a part of a floor with furniture hanging from it, water squirting from the damaged water pipes and gas flames from a gas pipe. Some of the houses just had a chimney breast left with a fireplace still in its place in a wall of four floors, the different wallpaper showing each of the rooms that had been there. Demolition men had to take down the remainder of the remains of the buildings to clear the site. The rubble was stacked higher than a four storey house, just to get it out of the way.

A cleared site would have a brick water tank built on it, using the old bricks that had been chipped clean of mortar. The inside of the tank would be tarred over to stop the water getting through. Some of the tanks were fifty feet square by six feet high. We used to put old timbers in to make a raft to play on, it was very dangerous as none of us could swim.

The wall of our school playground had a hole made in it for a fire engine to be kept in our school yard, it was a London taxi, one with the canvas passenger hood that could be folded down in the summer. It had a brass bell fitted and an extending ladder on the roof baggage rack, coiled hoses, a stand pipe, and buckets were in the open space beside the driver. The large bumpers, the mudguards and running boards had been painted white, with a big A.F.S. on the doors. Behind it was pulled a two wheel water pump with thick suction hoses strapped to the top.

One day the air raid siren sounded. I ran down the garden to light the lamp in the Andersen shelter and returned to the house to carry one of the baby twins to the shelter, my mother bringing the other with her, With planes overhead, Mum said to get under the table as there was no time to get down the garden to the shelter. The table was very large for the ten of us that sat round it for our meals. We could hear the bombs falling, then a tremendous explosion. Everything seemed to go orange , then black, then silent, We couldn't breathe. Black soot and plaster from the ceiling choked us. We tried to get out from under the table. The complete window frame, dresser, and the cast iron kitchen range was keeping us in. We worked our way out from under the table. A hole was where the window had been, glass was sticking in the facing wall, all the crockery was smashed when the dresser fell, the kitchen range was on its front with bricks in its place in the hearth. We were black with dust and soot.

I looked down the garden through the opening, The shelter where we would have been, was now covered with clay three times as high. The two large conker trees were leafless, there was now a space beyond the shelter, where there had been eleven houses, now smoked a gaping crater.

My school friend Norman Luff was badly injured, he was put on a stretcher , and carried out through the alleyway between our house and next door, to the main road Lordship Lane that was clear of debris. He was carried to a vehicle that had been a dust cart. It was a three wheeled scammel unit that pulled a trailer van, where normally dust men walked into the back to empty dust bins, the vehicle was very low on the ground, and ideal for stretcher cases, it had been converted for ambulance work and the creen colour of Camberwell council was pained over grey.

My Dad working at Peak Frean?s, was told by a driver who had been delivering to shops, that he had passed our home and that the house had been bombed and a boy was being taken out by stretcher into an ambulance. Dad left work to see what had happened. In the war all men had to stay at work for the whole day as they were classed as directed labour, He had to get out of the factory gates. The gate keeper said he should not leave without a pass, but the van driver told him about the bombing and he let Dad go. When Dad got home he was relieved to find out it was not any of us that were injured. My friend who was hurt never came back, nor any of the other people who lost their homes, as there was nothing left. They were homed elsewhere, I don?t remember seeing Norman again.

Dad organised us to get bits of wood that had been blasted into our garden to use to board up the windows, we could do nothing about the roof as most of it had gone. The girls and Mum cleared up inside, and threw all the plaster and broken things into a heap in the road, Dad said keep the bricks as we would need them again. We had a jam jar of tea, as all the cups had been broken, it was very hot and we could not hold the jar as it had no handle. The big kettle had been squashed so Dad mended the hole in the tin kettle with two washers and a nut and bolt. The gas was still working and the water was very slow.

I was told to light the gas geyser in the bathroom and run five inches of water to have a bath, when I got in the bathroom the geyser was hanging from the wall by just the pipes the flue pipe was in the bath with all the soot and tiles from the wall. I told Dad, he said we would have to go back to the days when we used the old galvanised tin bath, its in the shed. I went into the garden to get it, but ran back to tell Dad that the shed had gone and so had everything in it.

Mum was filling the copper with cold water, then she lit the wood under it to heat the water to wash all our dirty clothes. She gave a block of Sunlight soap to my sister to cut into strips to be put in with the washing, then kept pounding it with a wooden stick.

It was getting dark, all the electric bulbs had been broken, it was pitch black inside as the windows were now boarded up. Dad said get the lamp from the air raid shelter . I once again ran into the garden, but it was impossible to get through all the clay that covered the entrance. Dad made a lamp out of a screw top can. He made a hole in the lid, cut a piece of cloth, threaded it through the hole to hang into the Paraffin inside, adjusted it and lit it. The lamp worked but it was very smoky and soon used up the paraffin.

We all got ready to sleep in the front parlour, five of children could sleep under the grand piano, but it had two rods with pedals hanging down that got in our way, we would have to sleep there as there was no chance of us using the shelter that night.

Arthur our cat came home, I called him my cat as liked to sleep on my bed, we had forgotten all about him, he was very frightened. He had some of the babies Cow and Gate powdered milk, mixed up for him in a tin lid.

Dad had to go to the Wardens Post for night duty, he said ?Stay in this room and I shall know where you all are?. He went off to the Wardens Post shelter in the library just a block up the road from our house. We decided to go to bed as we could not see to do anything as the lamp had gone out, We just talked about what we might be able to do to make things better in the house, so we could repair things for the time being , mum said the house would not be repaired properly as there was no men to do it, or materials to use, we would do as best we could, Dad would sort it out, don?t worry, we must be grateful that we did not get hurt like the people who had lived in the houses at the back of us.

The raid came again that night, louder than ever, as the noise was more loud due to there being no windows or roof to deaden the noise. Every explosion brought down more plaster from the ceiling, onto the piano marking the polished surface, that had been so bright, (we had not been allowed to touch it in case we left finger marks) that is if we had got into the parlour in the first place!

The raid passed, it became quieter, we lay there in the darkness, relieved that, the planes had gone, bells still rang as fire engines and ambulances raced past in the road outside, the darkness, and tiredness now made us, one by one fall asleep.

Arthur was tucked in with me, purring gently now pleased to be back home, I fell asleep too!

by Shorty aged 9.

Att. A picture of the Scammel Dust Cart of the Camberwell Council used as a Ambulance.

[Pugwash]

Bumping up - still looking for information from anyone who attended either a Coronation or Silver Jubillee Party in East Dulwich. Also your stories about other street parties in ED from 1945.

The Celebrating East Dulwich Event will be held at the East Dulwich Community Centre on Sat 16th Oct. 4 - 8 pm Free entrance .

[computedshorty]

Stories about other street parties in ED from 1945.

Lordship Lane residents did not hold street parties in Lordship Lane because the trams ran there and far too much traffic, one that was held was in Milo Road, ( this road is now gated no through ).

The occasion was the end of the Second World War, the street party was given for the children of Lordship Lane and those of adjoining roads, as the children of Lordship Lane played in these roads and made their friends who lived there.

This party was called the V.E. Party commemorating Victory over Europe.

We were dressed in our Sunday best, not that many had a best just the best of what we had, many wearing pullovers that had been knitted by mum from old woollen garments unpicked and using the wool again and many colours to make it large enough to fit.

We could not buy shoes as they were rationed many still wore Wellington Boots or Plimsoles. ( P.T. Shoes )

Mums had spent the day befor showing the kids how to make paper chains cutting it into strips from any coloured paper and glueing it in a circle to make long chains these they drawing pinned to the long garden fence of the adjoinig Milo Road.

Food Rationing was still in force food and sugar for the cakes was given by the mothers who cooked all the cakes, made the jellies and sandwiches containing the precious delicacies that had been kept for such a day, the mothers who organised the whole party, folding tables were got from the Church on the corner of Goodrich Road the church Benches were very heavy but sat many children who looked dwarfed sitting on them. There were two large iced cakes fairy cakes currant cakes, buns. Apples and pears fruit that grew in local gardens. Needless to say there had not as yet been any Bananas, oranges or other imported fruit available.

When most of the food had been eaten the tables were moved to the pavement and the remainder of the food for snacks.

Games were played such as musical chairs, a wind up gramophone had been brought and the needle of the pick up gently put onto the record to be lifted and the music stop when we all had to find a seat to sit on, each time a chair was removed until the winner got seated on the last chair.

We tried to dance the Okey Kokey and the Lambeth Walk, we all formed up in a long row side by side, you put your left foot in your left foot out, twist around and shake it all about, lots of running forward and back and getting tangled up, we enjoyed it, the mums were crying to see their kids happy and safe after all that had happened

In the evening the mums danced to the music, some of the dads were home but had only their uniform to wear, many dads were still away in the forces.

Our party was at the Beauval Road end of Milo Road I have found a Photo.

It is really hard to realise that some of those children were my family and friends now deceased, as it was sixty five years ago.