Living in West Ham during The Blitz

I was living in Custom House, south West Ham, which is next to the Royal Victoria Docks. South West Ham was the worst bombed area in England.

It was about 5 o'clock in the afternoon that the German planes were seen, some people thought they were our own planes as there were so many of them.

Then the bombs started dropping. We (my family) took cover in the Anderson Air Raid Shelter in the garden. You could hear the whistle of the bombs as they were coming down then the bangs of the explosions. The shelter went up and down as if you were in a tin can.

When the raid was over, we came out of the shelter and had a shock as all the factories etc in the docks and Silvertown were on fire.

There were black clouds of smoke above our house and there was this roaring sound they were making with pieces of burnt paper etc dropping from the smoke clouds.

The second air raid was later that evening and was much longer and worse. It lasted most of the night.

We thought our house was falling on top of us. The sandbags had burst at the shelter entrance and dust was everywhere.

After the noise finished, my father took a look out and said “the house is still there”

What had happened was a large bomb had exploded in the middle of the road opposite, a few houses along from our house, and the kerb and paving stones plus a part of the road had been blown over the roof, landing in our garden etc.

We were told we had to leave our house as there was no gas, water, electricity etc. ( we were blitzed out ). The only way we could get out was through the West Ham Greyhound Stadium.

After staying at Noakes Café (which belonged to my uncle) the other side of Rainham, Essex, where we had more bombs etc, we returned to Custom House the following June, as the house and large crater in the road had been repaired.

We also had the V1 flying bombs and V2 long range rockets after the blitz. These were pilotless and their engines cut out and they dived down. You just crossed your fingers and hoped they never dived on you.

My brother Fred ran to help dig people out when one exploded in the next road — the windows and frames of our house were blown in but we all escaped unhurt.

My brother worked during the war in West Ham Speedway and Greyhound Stadium making aircraft parts (Arthur Atkinson the Speedway Rider and Promoter ran the workshop for this) and as our family were coal and coke merchants in Custom House, we had to keep the home fires burning. My father delivered some of the fuel. Both had narrow escapes from bombs. The coal depot was opposite the docks at the bottom of Leyes Road — it was known as West Ham South Depot.

Also, the army was in West Ham Stadium waiting for the invasion of Normandy D-Day and they were some of the first troops to be sent. We later heard many of them were killed so sadly did not return.

As I was only 11 years old when the war started, you do not have the same fear as the older people. I remember sitting in the school dug-out to take the art exam.

The railway stations did not have any name plates on as we didn’t want any enemy spies to know where they were, but the following rhyme was on the trains:

When you travel to and fro
On a line you really know
Think of those who are not sure
And have not been that way before
Do your good deed for the day
Tell them the stations on the way

My brother Fred was in the ATC (Air Training Corp) then when he was older he was a dispatch ride for the Home Guard and was blown off his bike by an explosion while delivering messages.

Clothing, coal and food were rationed but we never went hungry, there was always food of one kind or another available.

For animals such as dogs etc, there was a shop selling horse meat. But one day while my friend was waiting her turn to be served, I heard women talking and stating that they cooked the horse meat for their husbands to eat and they didn’t know the difference.

Neighbours all took their turn of fire watching. We all had a bucket of sand and water at the ready to put out the Incendiary Bombs. Sometimes these bombs would hit the roof of houses then roll off.

After the Blitz, air raids became a way of life, but the heavy Blitz raids were a shock to people and it was so sad to see people who were bombed out walking along with a few belongings to the local school to wait to be evacuated. One of the schools received a direct hit and many of the people waiting to be evacuated died. The total number of people killed was unknown as no one knew how many had gone to the school.

We always thought we would win the war — and we did.

This account of World War Two was written by Miss J.E. Osborne, a resident of Custom House, South West Ham.

I was not evacuated with my school and so lived in Custom House throughout the war.

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