About the contributor

I am very interested in all aspects of family history and have been researching my own for the last 20 odd years.
My dad lived in Winchester Street as at 7.9.1940 that fateful saturday and was at Oriental Road Baths when the bombing started. He says he was practically blown out of the bath. By the time he had managed to rush home his house and those next to and either side of and opposite were all going up in flames, the windows were splitting and shattering with the force of the heat. He only managed to rescue two items plus the family dog (that had to be put to sleep the next day) and together with his elder sister (by 18 months) and younger brother, aged 7 made his way to their elder sisters house. Had they gone to the bomb shelter provided (the school) they would have been killed as this took a direct hit. My dad was 15 at the time and had only 9 months earlier lost his mum to cancer (at 49 yrs old). My dad is now 81 and still an old cockney at heart. A wonderfully gentle man. His own father was a fireman for India Rubber Gutta Percha company all through the blitz (and before). I would like to be able to find out more about their employees. I have a lovely photo of my grandad (never knew him - he had died by the time I was born) in his (looks like works fireman uniform). Would love to be able to identify it.