I am a 2nd generation Essex girl I guess, but definitely with an East End heart! I have one set of grandparents from Hackney, and the other from Bow. They were both bombed out of London, and the end of WW2 moved out to a shiny new post-war estate in Essex - which is where both of my parents were born, grew up, met and got married. I've always preferred the city to the country though, and now as a grown up I have returned to my 'roots' in Hackney, which feels really like coming home.
The affect of WW2 on the East End is something that has always interested me, having been brought up with family stories of things that happened during that time; of amazing adventures, tales of adversity and courage, and a surprising amount of laughter. That indomitable East End spirit, displayed so often by my grandmothers, is something that I have grown up with, and grown to love and respect. Their history is my history - and something to be always remembered and celebrated.
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