London Fire Air raid

As a Locomotive Fireman on the old LMS stationed at Cricklewood in 1945, I worked alongside many Drivers with stories of the Blitz. Sid Goodyear was close to retirement in 1945 and recounted a story to me of the infamous December night in 1940 when London suffered the terrible fire raid. Sid's duty that night was a goods train from Cricklewood to Bricklayers Arms Depot on the Southern Railway. The Train of some 25 Goods Wagons left at 22-00hrs, the route took them over,what is now the Thameslink tunnel, going under Kings Cross and surfacing at Farringdon, up Snow Hill and onto Blackfriars Bridge. They stopped on the Bridge for some 20 minutes with all hell going on around them. London Bridge Station was well alight and as there is a curve approaching the Station, the Guard Bill Giles visualised the front of the Train disappearing into the Flames. They were then informed that there were no signals operating between London Bridge and South Bermondsey, and proceed at caution. At South Bermondsey they sheltered the Engine under a Bridge, however, the Signalman insisted they join him in a Dugout. A few minutes later a Bomb dropped on the Bridge destroying half of the Wagons. Sid and his Fireman finally travelled back to Cricklewood as passengers completing 23 hours on duty. A couple of weeks later Sid was reprimanded for not reporting the loss of his Locomotive Chimney on a repair sheet.

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