Family Bombed Out in Streatham, London

Between 1939 and 1945 my Mother wrote over 100 letters to her cousin Alice in Los Angeles. Unbeknown to her, Alice had all the letters typed out and I now have a history of the experiences and feelings of a middle class housewife living in London throughout the war.

The letter reproduced here was written just two weeks after we were bombed out of our home in Streatham in January 1941. Although I was only three I can still recall it vividly, and can still smell the plaster and rubble that fell around me.

Downton Avenue
Streatham Hill

26 January 1941

You will be surprised to see a strange address, but we lost our home on Jan.11, and are here with good friends, who are letting us stay until we can find another house.

It has been a dreadful experience for us all. We had just bought a two-tiered bunk for the children the week before and had it in the dining room, which we were using as our strong room. After Christmas we had very strong wooden shutters fixed to the windows. {I recall that the ceiling had also been reinforced with heavy timber beams} Our staircase was on the outer wall and we did not consider it safe.

That Saturday night we had put both boys to bed in their bunk - which they loved - Jeffery {my eight year old brother} on top. He had been in bed all week with chicken-pox, to add to our troubles. At eight we had a Molotoff breadbasket and had been out fire fighting - one incendiary in the next garden and one in the garage next to ours. We got them under control; then at 8:45 Percy went to the front door to see that the fire hadn't sprung up again, when without any warning or sound of it coming - they say you never hear the bomb that gets you - the whole house seemed to collapse on us, and the lights went out. It was an aerial torpedo, which struck the houses at the end of our road {seven houses away} and we got the blast.

Percy was the worst, as he was blown right across the hall and can't remember what happened. He suffered from shock and minor cuts and bruises and was lucky not to be killed. As Doctor said, if he had been behind the door he would have been killed. Jeffery was pinned down by the legs, and had a big bruise on one leg, but fortunately he hadn't gone to sleep, and when he felt the plaster falling he had put his head under the bed clothes. Chris {myself} was fast asleep and was badly shocked.

I had been sitting by the fire nursing a bad bronchial cold when I felt the floor heave under me. I flew around the table to go to the children, but before I could get as far, everything fell on me and I found myself under the dining table, where I got the full blast of soot from the chimney in my face.

It was a horrible time and made worse by the darkness. We were afraid to move in case we brought more down on top of us. I must say the wardens and ambulance people were splendid. They were in our house almost before the plaster stopped falling and were so helpful. Some one found a candle so I could see to dress the children. They were so good. Jeffery even dressed himself among the rubble.

My neighbour gave them both great praise. She stayed with me while we found out if a friend who lived near could take us in for the night.
We always kept two suitcases packed and a basket of provisions, so we were able to take them with us.

When we saw the scene next morning it was a dreadful shock. Five houses had completely vanished. There was a thirty-foot crater where they had been. There were only the outer walls, stairs, and floors of our house, and the others in the road were leaning at a very drunken angle. Twenty houses have been condemned and about sixty were damaged besides. It is the worst damage in the district. Fifteen people were killed - two of Jeffery's little friends - and twenty injured, so we were lucky to escape with our lives. We have lost a lot of furniture, of course.

Doctor ordered Percy to go away for a week, so after getting as many small things, such as silver, away - no one could store our furniture for us at the time - we had what was worth saving moved down stairs and went off to Somerset. That was a terrible journey. We had the radiator frozen and a flat tyre to contend with before we could get away. Then we had two bad skids on the way - the roads were like sheets of ice. The second time we crashed into a sign post {on Salisbury Plain} and had to have help to raise the mudguard off the tyre. We finally arrived at my sister-in-law's. The next day Chris developed chicken pox. He would have been very disappointed if he hadn't had spots like Jeffery!

We left the children with my sister-in-law and returned here last Thursday. Jeffery will go to school in Bridgwater. I feel very heart broken to be parted, especially from Chris.

Now I am house hunting and it's a wretched job, for the weather is so cold and wet. We are trying to find a house at Epsom, ten miles out. It is a neutral zone, and although they get guns and planes over them, they don't get the deliberate bombing we have had. And I am nervous now and want to get away from this district. We have a house in view. It's a lovely house with a lovely large garden, but it is very expensive, and if we can get it, will cost us all our income. But as our friends say, we have to pay for safety, and they advise us to take it. I could have the children home if we get a house in Epsom, and it is a very nice district. Percy would have a longer journey to business of course, but he doesn't mind and I think it would do him good to come home to such a nice place and comparative peace. I will let you know when anything is settled and I have time to write. I am kept very busy, for when we arrived here from Bridgwater we found Mrs.Fossey in bed with congestion of the lungs, so I am trying to help her as well as go house hunting.

This isn't war - it is just murder of women and children.

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