Poverty through Channel Isles Invasion

Before the war my father let the top flat of our house to a rather genteel, nice, elderly lady, Miss Dawson. She had wonderfully expensive and elegant furniture, always wore black and had a bun. I particularly remember a fantastic Cuckoo clock and a wonderfully tall pot and stand for her aspidastra. She lived on an allowance from an Aunt in the Channel Isles which I think was Alderney. Alas when they were invaded the allowance stopped completely and she was in dire straits. My father, who could ill afford to, reduced the rent considerably but even so she had to live and therefore had to work. So this poor lady who had never worked before in her life was forced earn some money and the only thing she could do was to go out cleaning. It must have been a traumatic and terrible experience for her. At some point during the way there was a fire 3 doors away, nothing to do with bombing, in which 2 people died. She heard the screams and noise and had a severe stroke and spent the rest of her life in hospital. Her sister and her daughter moved in to the flat as I think they had been bombed out. There had always been a promise that when the war ended and the allowance was hopefully restored that my dad would receive full recompense. But alas although he got some money it wasn't very much and because he was kind and a soft touch he didn't pursue it. He had fought in the first World War and been wounded in both arms. Before that he'd been a keen boxer. I never heard him complain. In the 2nd War he was a Section leader, organising the Fire watching rosters and generally keeping an eye on things. He was very popular and the street always felt reassured when he went by and they heard him whistling 'If I had my way'.

I was evacuated to family friends who lived in Maidenhead on the 1st September 1939. To get to Paddington we took a trolleybus (628 or 630) to Hammersmith and the Metropolitan line from there. I have a very strong feeling that because there was a fear of the Thames bridges being bombed, even before war had been declared, that we had to get off the trolleybus on the Putney side, walk across the bridge and get another one from the Fulham side. I have never read of this and wonder if my memory has played me a trick?

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.