East Dulwich at war

[jackangel]

When it was safe once again to do so, people filed past the boarded-up shop fronts pointing out to each other any damage done by the previous night?s raids. Some went into the improvised caf? with its incongruous rescued leather suite and shared the communal newspapers peered at in the dim light. Scant news, mostly obvious propaganda.

Empty cans clanked in fibre shopping bags, which bore their stains and odours, on the way to be melted down for, perhaps, a new battleship. At home, waste was minimalised. Turn that light out! Do not make unnecessary journeys!

An orderly british queue formed at the butcher?s, while the purveyor of foreign preserved meats and conserves across the road was also forced to charge premium prices (when there was the stock).

Pursed lipped housewives stood in the fishmonger?s, eye-to-eye with strange species, wondering how they would go down at the family dinner table.

In a side street, household possessions and home-made products were offered for sale by an assortment of people ranging from the disadvantaged, through the exploitative, to the well-to-do person doing their Bit for The Cause.

Of course, there were beer houses every few yards. Some things never change!

Second World War? Nah, another Saturday morning in Lordship Lane.

[Nero]

For a short while I thought you must be Rod Liddle, but then I realised that the writing and thoughts were too good to come from him. Nero

[macroban]

On Saturday 5 August 1944 you might have been doing your family shopping at the Lordship Lane Coop or standing at the tram-stop outside.

[Asset]

and the point is?

[macroban]

I'm sorry, Asset, I don't know the point.

It was just a personal reflection on one of the saddest days in East Dulwich in the context of jackangel's post about East Dulwich at war.

[Asset]

wasn't aimed at you Macro - I'm wondering what the point of the original thread is.

[macroban]

Oh!

(I think) the original post by jackangel is a clever piece of humorous writing; might even be classed as satire. But sometimes satire passes by the target of the satire. I certainly had a broad grin.

My reflection was prompted by the content:

war-time = when

rescued leather suite = location

boarded up shop-fronts = event

Saturday = time

I doubt whether there are many left who walk down Lordship Lane and reflect on the event. Probably the only present day impact is when houses are renovated and there is some irritation about having to spend extra un-budgeted money for unexpected structural repairs.

It's difficult to think of a present day equivalent. Perhaps a very large terrorist bomb set off in Somerfield on a Saturday which reduces the entire building to rubble.

[Asset]

is it a case of 'plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose' or summing like that? (not entirely sure I've got that right).

[macroban]

I've found this personal account which I have not read before.

[Asset]

It's difficult to know what to write - I don't want to come across wrong. The account is moving.

I'm not entirely sure Jackangel had that particular day in mind when he ? wrote his piece. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think he ? may be satirising life in general in 2007.

You Macro, are giving some info on a specific event, which is appreciated (by me anyway). Were you around LL on that day?

[Asset]

E gads - I've used 'not entirely sure' in two posts. Could be my catchphrase - "Asset, not entirely sure".

[TillieTrotter]

Not entirely sure about Asset myself.:-S Anyway, goodnight folk. Well goodnight Asset, seeing as we are the only ones on here tonight.

[jim_the_chin]

good link macro - no idea about the original pos though

[macroban]

My earliest memory of that part of Lordship Lane is the shanty-town of small one-storey temporary shops that the Co-op built over the bomb site.

Family shopping was done at The Plough where there was a full range of local shops. There was only rarely a need to shop that far down Lordship Lane.

[Louisa]

The 60 odd people killed queuing outside the co-op was one of the most striking and chilling events in the history of ED. Innocent shoppers struck down by an invisible enemy. I agree with you magroban, the majority of shops were out at the plough end of the lane, not the goose green end.

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

Etherow Street was completely destroyed as well wasn't it.

[macroban]

Yes, Etherow Street was devastated, and there was one in Eynella Road. There were others too.

The Summer and Autumn of 1944 was a bad time for East Dulwich.

It was only in the late 1980s we discovered why there was such a concentration of flying bomb hits. British Intelligence was feeding the Germans false "telemetrics" reporting overshoots North of London. The Germans changed their targetting parameters to adjust for this and the missiles landed short of central London thus saving many lives. I believe what is now the London Borough Bromley had the most damage from misdirected flying bombs.

[jim_the_chin]

blimey, bit rough on ED that, although presumably there were less people (or less important/rich people) in se22 than central.

what was up the plough end then? i saw the cooperative society signage on the front of the building that's being renovated recently. how long was this bit popular for? it's obviously suffered a bit in recent years.

[jackangel]

macroban, your local history bits are always interesting.

Perhaps this is a good place to remind people about the Godfrey reproduction OS maps. Notably the ones for East Dulwich & Peckham Rye (London Sheet 117) for 1868 and 1894. They have loads of detail, are to the same scale and are fascinating for anyone living in the area. Better still, they are dirt cheap (?2.20 each?) and available from libraries. The company (look it up and order on the web) will deliver direct very quickly for 60P extra.

[Ko]

Interesting to read the personal account - very sad. It takes you back to another time in ED.

I wonder if Hammetts, the butchers mentioned, is the one next to Southside Lighting. Its now a Chinese acupunture/therapy place, but it was once a butchers and it still has the old tiling on the walls.