WWII Telegrams Mysteriously appear on Bermondsey Archway!

Messages from wartime Britain have been pasted onto the wall of an archway in SE London! The telegrams reveal the moving stories of  loss and survival by Bermondsey residents during the Blitz, as they informed relatives of the death of loved ones, the location of evacuees, and their survival despite the bombing raids.

Air raids were widely reported by newspapers during WWII and closely followed by the Home Front. Bermondsey was amongst the most severely bombed areas in Britain.  Several hundred civilians were killed and thousands were injured.

Why were the telegrams, believed to be copies, placed on the archway? Is the location, the arches between Tanner Street and Maltby Street, important?  Is this a memorial? As yet, there is no explanation. If you have any information about this, you can email joey@southwarknews.co.uk.

Source
www.southwarknews.co.uk
http://southwark.gov.uk/info/200159/history.
#WWII   #Bermondsey  #WWIIBermondsey #WWIIsouthwark

TELFORD STEAM RAILWAY 1940's THEMED DAY 2015

The re-enactors stepped into character throughout the day creating a light-hearted wartime theme at #TelfordSteamRailway

and the WVS, Women's Voluntary Service were ready to provide cups of tea for the visitors!

 

There was plenty of excitement and espionage with a search for  german spies on the steam train, pursued by the military police, occupied territory at Lawley Station and French Resistance and Allied troops at Horsehay and Dawley Station!

There were also #vintage stalls, and the sounds of the #Blitz and #wartime music, radio and entertainment from Kevin Mack. This  #1940s Shropshire venue was a great day out, and visitors to this event told me how much they enjoyed the event!    

1940s WEEKEND AT THE BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM 2015

Visitors told me that they enjoyed Saturday night so much they returned for another day of wartime activities on Sunday! Not surprising really as this was a happy and friendly event with the #WWII re-enactors ready to talk to and entertain the crowds, and there were just lots of exhibitions, displays and re-enactments to enjoy.

Kidderminster Home Guard inspected our ID cards and kept order on the streets of this lovely Victorian village. At The Workers Institute there was an opportunity to learn and join in with the #1940s dancing, the D Day Darlings entertained us with WWII songs and a wartime wedding and variety show included a community singalong.

You could buy ration books and enjoy a spam fritter, sweets from the sweet shop and a drink at the Glass and Bottle Public House, and more. There was a #Blitz fire re-enactment with the home guard and fire wardens rescuing the occupants from a house  and also street performers, #vintage shopping stalls and military and civilian vehicle displays.
The Black Country Living Museum and it's industrial heritage of the Midlands provided an authentic scene for this 1940s venue and brought WWII Britain back to life! This was simply a superb event and convincing too, with so many re-enactors and members of the public in 1940s costume.

One of the best, if not the best wartime event I've been to!

(More photos from this event at 2015 Pictures page)

The BlackCountry Museum And The Homefront In WWII

It's June 1940, and Britain stands alone in the fight against the mighty German invasion!  Churchill's Homefront defences are stretched trying to withstand the never- ending aeriel attacks. The air raids present the greatest danger to the people and many respond providing help, including Air Raid Wardens, Police, rescue workers, doctors and nurses.

The Women's Voluntary Service  arranged first aid training courses and looked after those people who were hurt during the Blitz. They also provided 'Rest Centres' to give the homeless food, shelter and sanitation. The WVS worked with the Queen's Messenger Convoys delivering food to the areas that suffered from the relentless bombing.
More support was offered from the British Red Cross, St. Johns Ambulance and Civil Nursing Reserve Nurses and the ATS. First aid posts were set up in church halls, schools and hospitals. Mobile First Aid Units were sent to disaster areas to help the casualties.
The fear of losing family, friends, neighbours, homes, work-places; of spending another frightening and sleepless night in an air raid shelter, or of course losing their freedom, was part of everyday life in WWII. Despite Hitler's best efforts, the British people refuse to be undermined!

Source
Britain At War  Maureen Hill
www.wikipedia.org/
www.caringonthehomefront.org.uk
The Story Of Britain's Mobilisation For War - Ministry of Information 1944

A Grand Tea Dance

We all stepped back in time at this costumed WWII themed event! The Grand Tea Dance was the venue for Susan's 65th birthday party and the location was Aston Wood Golf Club, Little Aston in the West Midlands.

 There was Hollywood glamour and top hats and white ties, with some officers wearing their dress uniforms and of course the Homefront and the Army, Navy and Air Force were also represented. Wartime rations were provided for us and there was lots of music and dancing 1940's style. Holly Hewitt sang for us and sparkled in a beautiful red sequinned dress and later everyone joined in a jolly community sing song.

The re-enactors set the scene making us feel we had travelled back in time  to 1939. We all listened to speeches from Field Marshall Montgomery and Prime Minister Winston Churchill who both recreated the mood of the time.  Fire wardens were on hand to ensure everyone survived a dramatic "air raid" and the noise of the Blitz, and the drama continued with the arrest, by the Home Guard, of a spiv trying to peddle black market goods to the guests!

The Grand Tea Dance was an enjoyable and entertaining event and as the guests and re-enactors left I heard someone say,"can't we do this again next year?" Exactly! Thank you Susan.    

WWII, Coventry,and the Blitz

 

 

In the summer of 1940, and until the spring of 1941, Germany began their relentless aerial attacks, targeting British cities, ports and industrial areas. During November a devastating raid levelled the centre of Coventry leaving the city's cathedral in ruins. 

Roy from Northamptonshire, a small boy at the time, was in Coventry visiting relatives.  "My Uncle held me up to the window to see the glow from Coventry while it was being bombed in 1940."  "I had to spend the night in an Anderson shelter, it was the first and only time!