- Contributed by听
- CamdenTownLibrary
- People in story:听
- Phyllis Hillel
- Location of story:听
- Mornington Crescent, Camden
- Article ID:听
- A2651825
- Contributed on:听
- 20 May 2004
When the 'blitz' on london began on Saturday 7th September, 1940,the first casualty was where my family lived at 35 Harrington Square, near Mornington Crescent station.
The devastation was captured in a photo of a bus blown onto a house by the bomb,a landmark picture on permanent display at the london Transport Museum and recently featured in the Camden New Journal.
My home, next door, was totally destroyed, Killing my father, brother, sister,sister,s fiancee and two friends.One other brother was resscued from the ruins and another sister aged 11,had already been evacuated to Bedford with her Camden school.All in all,15 people died in that attack.
I was in the Land Army at the time of the tragedy and my mother was out visting her sister.
The terrible irony of the event was that my brothers were home on leave that weekend, one from the Air Force, the other from the
Army.
My mother and I went to live with relatives and took shelter each night in the basement of a tall block of flats near Primrose Hill.
I recall the drama when Londoners stormed the tube staions seeking shelter from the bombs, depite official opposition, and how they forced the authorities to install bunk beds and other amenties at stations. Previously,people just lay packed like sardines on the floor.
Stories are legion of the unquenchable spirit of those taking shelter and how they endured life during those desperate times.
In 1942 when my serving husband was sent to Egypt in the fight against Rommel, the Camden authorities,then called ST. Pancras, rehoused my mother ,myself and my two weeks old baby into a requisitioned flat in Antrim Road, Belsize Park.
It was really quite luxurious and we each paid the pricely sum 10/-a week rent.The other flat holders treated us with suspicion until we won them over.
Looking back I marvel that my infant and were kept outside in the street in their prams for hours on end with no fear of any harm befalling them.
I forgot to mention that,after the bombing incident,ST.Pancras {now Camden} established an office to provide the homeless with money and basic essentials. When we were rehoused every item of need wes supplied to us ,furnture,crockery etc. without stint,rudimentary but homely and sufficent.
Owing to the long lasting grieving period I find it hard to focus on other memories from those tumultuous times.
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