London at War : Relics of the Home Front From the World Wars

The two world wars of the twentieth century seem so distant from us now, a lifetime ago, in a different age. Yet in London the evidence of these conflicts is around us, near at hand, in the many relics and reminders that are scattered across the fabric of the modern city. And, as Alan Brooks demonstrates in this fascinating photographic record, they can be seen and visited today. Plaques and inscriptions, graves, cemeteries and rolls of honor, stone monuments and stained glass, war-damaged buildings, pillboxes and air-raid shelters, painted signs and camouflage - these are just some of the mementoes of war, and of the experience of Londoners, during the greatest conflicts the country has known. Contents 6 Abbreviations & Picture Credits 7 Acknowledgements & Dedication 8 Preface 10 Prologue ‘Black Sunday’. 13 Chapter 1: The Dress Rehearsal: The First World War 16 Intermission: The Inter-War Years 30 Chapter 2: The London Blitz . . . and After 34 Chapter 3: V for Revenge: The V Weapons 58 Chapter 4: Give Me Shelter 68 Chapter 5: Scars, Shells and Carbuncles 84 Chapter 6: A Home from Home: Exile and Headquarters 97 Chapter 7: WW2 Civilian War Graves and Memorials 104 Chapter 8: Odds and Ends, Other Memorials and Fakes 122 Chapter 9: Be Your Own Blitz Detective (‘BYOBD’) 138 Epilogue 154 Appendix 1. London Boroughs, Postal Districts, the LCDR and Fire Services 155 Appendix 2. Selected Chronology 157 Appendix 3. London Metropolitan Borough WW2 Civilian War Memorials/Graves 160 Appendix 4. Selected Statistics 162 Appendix 5. Selected Bibliography 166 Appendix 6. Some Places to Visit, and Contact Details 169 Index 170 An extensively illustrated tour of relics and reminders of the city's WWI and WWII experiences. The two world wars of the twentieth century seem so distant from us now, yet in London the evidence of these conflicts can be found in the many relics and reminders that are scattered across the fabric of the modern city. And, as Alan Brooks demonstrates in this fascinating photographic record, they can be seen and visited today. Plaques and inscriptions, graves, cemeteries and rolls of honor, stone monuments and stained glass, war-damaged buildings, pillboxes, and air-raid shelters, painted signs and camouflage—these are just some of the mementos of war, and of the experience of Londoners during the greatest conflicts the country has known. "The aim of this book is simple. It is to provide a selection or atlas of photographs of items relating to the home front in London during the two world wars. Most importantly, these items must be reasonably available for viewing to the general public in real life. There are (essentially) no military memorials. There is little social history since it has been done before. The area of interest is that under the governance of the old London County Council (which ran the central part of London during the period covering WWI and WWII), plus the city of London"--Preface.