On the run up to the War

As we children grew up we were able to play in the street. In those days there weren’t many cars around. We lived in the second row of seven houses on Salmon Street and next to them was a stable and also a parcel store / warehouse. A driver used to collect and deliver parcels around the town with his horse and cart. Opposite our terrace was a bread shop where there was also a horse and carriage to deliver the bread.  Sometimes, late in the afternoon, the driver would be coming towards the end of his daily deliveries and the horse would know it was close to home and that its stable was just around the corner so it would trot off back to the bakery on its own with the driver running after it trying to catch it up!

In those days the milkman would come round on his cart, too, and he would lift off a heavy churn of milk and scoop it into jugs and various containers that the ladies brought out to it. Once they’d got their milk, the ladies trotted off to the market for the day’s dinner and probably to have a good chat with their friends. Sometimes a customer would have to ask for a loan as they didn’t have any money until Friday.

The time now was 1939 and many men were being called into the army as soon as they were old enough.  Both men and women went into the Army, Navy and Air Force. Older men, like my father, worked during the day and then, at night, they would be on watch.  All the shops and businesses were boarding up windows.  Workers were also building brick shelters in some of the streets. The shelters would have a square roof built of thick concrete and were covered over with grass.

The war began on September 15th.  Chamberlain flew to Germany to meet Hitler at his Alpine retreat. Chamberlain seemed pleased with what they accomplished but after he left, Hitler’s mood soon changed. The British ambassador to Berlin handed the Germans a final note stating that they should be prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland.  No such action took place so, consequently, the country was at war. Men all over the country started to dig trenches mainly in London Parks and hundreds of soldiers were stationed as look-out on the tops of tall buildings. The fire engines were all on alert. The Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force were put on a war footing. Thousands of gas masks were sent out through schools, work places and shops etc.  They were horrible things that had a flap at the front that used to make a rasping sound.

After a few days, in the London area, there was the first Air Raid warning.


Soon after, the ration system started and, from 8th January 1940, each adult was allowed 4oz of Ham, Bacon and Cheese per week and 12oz of sugar. Meat was rationed to just over 1lb per person per week.

Below is a selection of photographs from the Shakespeare Street, John Street and Salmon Street area. 

This shop was opposite our house and as we were level with it the Coronation bunting went accross from our house to the shop. The street going to the right was John Street. The houses you can just make out in the distance on the left are Shakespeare Street.

Looking down towards Shakespeare Street - those houses are still there - the larger building (back centre) is the old school rooms and this, too, is still there. Stand in the car park at Tescos in the Rushes and scan the surrounding buildings and you should spot it!

Photo taken from the garret room at the Salmon Street house - looking at The Victory Cinema on the left and I think you can see the Carillon Memorial Tower on the horizon.

A view from the back of our house showing our back yard - the people walking beyond the back wall are my Mam and Dad and, I think, my sister Mary with two of her daughters. 

View down John Street, looking towards Limehurst School at the end to the right and the old fire station at the end to the left. Right at the very end was some kind of clinic? The cleared area on the left was where the firemen used to practice thier drill with the hoses etc.

This is the demolition of Salmom Street starting late 1950s. 

© Ruth Coward 2012