大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by a volunteer from CSV/大象传媒 London on behalf of Arthur and Alf Abrahams and has been added to the site with their permission. They fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In the summer of 1941, at the height of the Blitz in London, my parents and I were in the Underground shelter in the building on the corner of Argyll Street and Great Marlborough Street in London鈥檚 West End. At the time I was 12 years old.

During one particular night, the police came to the shelter to ask for volunteers to help with an incident in Oxford Street. My father, who was a part-time warden and therefore not on active service together with other men in the shelter agreed to help, and I asked whether I could go too. My father reluctantly agreed and we went out across Oxford Circus to the area of Oxford Street where the original John Lewis building stood.

Hundreds of incendiary bombs had landed in the street and around the area. The fire brigade and the police realised that they could not save all of Oxford Street, but decided to try to save at least one side of the street, the South Side where the Salvation Army Citadel and other buildings stood.

My father and I were given long handled shovels, and told to try to push as many incendiary devices as we could towards the North side of Oxford Street before they completely ignited. This lasted about half an hour, and then the fire brigade decided that civilians should leave the area. By that time John Lewis was completely ablaze. The police thanked all the helpers for their assistance, and we returned to the shelter.

The following morning we came out onto Oxford Street to the building now known as DH Evans was completely gutted and in fact, remained so until it was rebuilt after the end of the war.

I think I can say that at the age of twelve, I reluctantly helped to burn down John Lewis.

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