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Harold George Cooper 1939 to 1947 Home Front to the Middle East.

When war was declared I was 12 years old and living in Seymer Road Romford I can remember the Prime minister Mr Chamberlains broadcast to the nation 11am Sunday 3rd September 1939 stating that this country is now at war with Germany. After the announcement I remember the siren went off at Whale Bone Lane. My mother Lillian was bathing my younger brother Terry in a small bath on the table at the time and quickly wrapped a towel round him. We all dashed out to our Anderson shelter that my father and I had prepared some time before war had been declared. My mother wanted to be with other people so we all went to our friends shelter a Mr and Mrs Olley this was over the back of our garden and allotment in Dorset Avenue, however the shelter was full of water but this didn’t deter my mother! My mother went straight in to the water still holding the baby. There were fruit boxes floating about that should have been for sitting on and the roof had no earth on the top. We all ended up standing there with our gas masks on up to our wastes in water. We must have looked a sight! but at the time were very frightened. However the alarm turned out to be false.

Unfortunately Mrs Olleys Husband had not been in the forces for long and tragically was killed when he stepped on a mine on one of our own beaches. He must have only been in the forces for about 3-4 months.

My mother used to look after a small child John Stobart, they used to call him Johnny, he was friends with my brother Ron. Johnny was about 4 years old. In 1941 his mother decided to go and live with her husband who was in the Royal Navy at Portsmouth but the hotel that they were in was hit by a bomb. Both Johnny and his mother were trapped in the ruins and Johnny could be heard calling to his mum and saying he was falling. This however turned out to be due to loss of blood and Johnny tragically died. I often wonder if he may have been a relation of Eddie Stobart of Eddie Stobart limited.

Another thing latter in the war I remember is the sound of the large gun called Whale Bone Annie. This was at the top of Whale Bone Lane just along the Arterial road (A12). The house would actually shake when this was fired!

My Father (George Cooper) was an ARP Warden in Seymer Road he was called up and saw action with the 8th Army in Egypt, then Italy at Salerno and Monte Casino. I can remember a tale my father told me ‘ When I was on my way in land after the Germans had withdrawn I saw my brother in law Frank Dawn (Victor Sylvester’s half brother) coming back the other way on a lorry and we waved to each other. He had been sent back behind the lines because the Germans were shooting any captured soldiers if they had German names and their religious dog tags identified them to be of the Jewish faith.’

Evacuation, fire watching, poultry and battered herrings!

My mother was evacuated with my younger brothers Ron and Terry to Enderby Leicestershire, but after a time they returned because the life style was rather different. They had all decided to chance the bombing and return to Romford. After a time they all made a decision to go to Laindon to keep away from the bombing. I must have been about 16 at the time and was keeping chickens and ducks whilst also doing some fire watching at the Romford Gas Company show rooms on the corner of Eastern Road and South Street, where I was employed as a junior cashier. The extra three shillings and six pence for fire watching used to come in very handy. They provided me with a uniform, asbestos gloves, chopper and Wellington boots. I was always filling in for people who could not attend. Our job was to clear any incendiary bombs etc that fell on to the roof and generally watch out for other fires in the vicinity.

I thought is it worth going home every night to feed the chickens and ducks, so I put them all in a box and when the weekend came went to Laindon on the train in the guards van with my now very muddy chickens and ducks! When I arrived it was raining and pitch black due to the black out. I staggered up the lane and then let them loose in the back garden. They soon made them selves at home, the chickens in the lush long green grass and the ducks in a dug out meant for an air raid shelter that had become filled with water. My mother told me latter that the chickens looked very clean and the ducks were like white swans!

Each weekend I would set off for Laindon to see how they were. On one occasion whilst on my way I noticed a fish shop was open and a large queue was gathering out side. In those days if you saw a queue you would join it! They were serving battered herrings! This was very unusual for the time. It was now dark and whilst walking up the lane I saw a shape in the middle of it and thought is this a tank! all of a sudden it went moo! This turned out to be a cow and was one of the laughable moments in those hard times. That evening we all had herring and chips for tea.

Oil bomb on Haysoms furniture shop North Street Romford.

During 1941 Whilst on my way to work at the gas show rooms. I was astounded not to see Haysoms Furniture shop (a brand new shop) on the corner of Church Lane and North Street. It had been hit by an oil bomb and had burnt right down to almost ground level, the fire brigade were still trying to put it out. This may have happened at the same time the GPO in South Street at the back of the White Heart in High Street was bombed.

Also around this time I can remember seeing insendry bombs whilst walking from the gas show rooms through the Battice. These were on the ground in the brewery yard and the sports ground and had been left to burn out. They must have been trying to hit the brewery and station but missed.

Morale! iron railings, aluminium pots and pans.

I can remember the removal of the iron railings from Pettit’s Lane school and the collection of aluminium pots and pans. All were supposed to go toward making aeroplanes and weapons to help the war effort. But this has now been rumoured to have been a ploy by the government to keep the morale of the people up. Some say the collected metal was taken and dumped at sea.

Attack on Romford gas holders.

Again this must have been during the battle of Britain. I can remember walking to the gas works with my brief case of cheques to be taken from the gas works to the bank by a Mr Hays. As I walked through the gas works gate an aircraft came down and cannon shelled the gas holders. It had German markings but I’m not sure what type it was because I was throwing my self to the ground at the time. There were two or three large bangs from the gas holders and huge flames came out. I made my way over to the base of the holders and saw Mr Greystone and Mr Stewart (the two chief engineers) with two large bowls of what looked like clay. They both put on their asbestos suits and gloves then climbed the gas holder ladders and plugged the cannon shell holes to stop further gas from escaping. They were subsequently awarded medals for their bravery.

Park Side Hotel bomb (now the Squire!).

I can remember one morning seeing the damage caused by this bomb and what looked like the base of the bomb in the road. This may have been the bomb base or just a drain cover. There were rumours at the time that it had fallen on to a shelter and may have killed lots of people. In those days one took this as every day life.

Attempted robbery.

Once again whilst on my way to the gas works with my brief case full of cheques from customers paying their gas bills at the gas show rooms c1942. I had just emerged from the back gate of the Battice ready to cross Waterloo Road and enter St Andrew Road. When a small van came out of St Andrews Road at speed knocking me to the ground and sending my brief case flying in to the gutter. I got to my feet and ran to the case at the same time as one of the men in the van but managed to get there before him. The van then made off towards the town!

Clapping the Doodle Bug! Bomb damage.

During the time the doodle bugs were being sent over whilst at the gas show rooms. We all saw what we thought was a German aircraft being shot down and were all clapping, not realising it was a V1 at the time. The flying bomb must have gone down either over Victoria Road or may have continued its way towards Rush Green. It was very low.

After spending some time working for the gas company at the show rooms I decided to leave and go in to bomb damage repair. Most of my friends at the time were all doing this because the money was very good and being young it was more attractive to me. My position at the gas company was a difficult one to resign from and was treated due to the war as an important occupation, but at the time I found that the gas lights were affecting my health. I then had to go before a tribunal to see if they would let me go. They agreed and let me leave.

This article is continued as another story. Please see: -----------
Aftermath of the war via Northern Ireland to the Middle East.

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