London's Burning

This is copied from an original letter sent from Dinah Baker’s Father to his wife (Dinah's mother) after an air raid on London. Ted worked as a heavy duty air raid warden.

Monday Morning

Dearest

This is to let you know that we are all safe after the raid on London. My train did not get into Paddington till 12.45 and there I had to stay till the morning as all traffic had stopped. We sheltered in the subway that leads to the underground. One bomb came in the station it fell between 13 and 14 platform blew away the staircase. It shook the place everybody ducked but we were alright and nobody was hurt. I left the station at 20 minutes past 5 everywhere was a mass of fire, a policeman told me the only way to get to the other side of London was to walk, so I started. Eveywhere the streets were covered with debris and fire hoses. I was walking through Hyde Park at 5 to 6 when the all clear went. There were several fires in Victoria St, the House of Commons Westminster Hall and the Abbey were all on fire the road was simply covered with hoses I then went over Westminster Bridge. Parts of County Hall and St Thomas’s Hospital were well alight, so I went down York Road to Waterloo Street everywhere was burning could not get down Waterloo Road so turned down the cut from Waterloo Road to Blackfriars Road the whole of the cut on one side of the road was on fire it looked like some fantastic film. I then got to the Elephant and Castle all round that quarter was well burning the South London Music Hall was blazing. So I came back and went down Trinity Street to Great Dover Street there were several houses and shops alight round there when I got to the Bricklayers Arms goods station I was able to get a lift on a lorry to Thurston Road. From there I got a 47 bus home. It was then five and twenty to nine so I changed my clothes and had something to eat and got to the depot just after 9 o’clock. We were out at once people were buried in Dalmain Road Brockley at 11.20 I came across the body of a woman we had been digging for. We worked till 2 o’clock and then a relief came. By that time we had found a man and there were still people to be found. Your Mother and Taff stayed in the shelter all night she seems very queer this morning I suggested that she comes down this week but she said she will wait until the weather gets warmer. I must now close as it is nearly 12 o’clock and I want to get this posted, the scooter is still here will try and get it sent off today.

Ted.

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