including
Woolwich & Districts
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Ken Costin's
Blast From The Past!
'End
of War' certificate was given to every school-child.
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I was born in 1935 and spent the wartime years collecting incendiary
bombs
and shrapnel.
I lived
in Flaxton Road at the junction with Raymere Gardens.
We lost the roof off our house three times, but never moved
out.
The first blast I am aware of was in Barden Street on 17th
October 1940. This was alongside the Church of the Ascension
and was about 300 yards from our house, it killed three people.
Around
the corner in Alabama Street on 20 March 1941 2000 hrs, a High
Explosive Land Mine exploded, killing 27 people. This was the
first bomb I remember to blast damage doors ceilings and remove
tiles off the roof of the house.
Sometime
in the early 1940's a German plane, probably a bomber, crash
landed on Plumstead Common, near the Links RACS stores. You
could sit in the cockpit for a fee, 6d ? Does anybody else remember
this?
On 23 June
1944 a V1 doodlebug fell around the corner destroying Numbers
8-14 Duncroft and again taking the tiles off our house and bringing
down ceilings, doors and windows. This killed 5 people.
On 26th
February 1945, at 0910 hours, a V2 rocket fell on 42-44 Duncroft
Road. This killed 13 and injured 87. I was blown through the
fence of Timbercroft School, from the blast of a V2 rocket.
I was not seriously injured, so I ran back home to find all
the windows broken, doors blown off and the roof damaged again.
My sister was waiting at No 157 for her school friend, John,
who was getting ready for school, when the V2 exploded. John
was blown over in the kitchen before he heard the blast from
the rocket. Again, they also was not seriously hurt.
My father had just turned into Duncroft Road; he was blown to
the ground. He was on his way to visit two of his workman who
was repairing war damage from the V1, on number 42 Duncroft.
Unfortunately both the workmen were killed. They were:
Robert Allen
Parvin and Thomas Alfred Thynne.
I believe
that at least one them came from Scotland. I remember being
shown a Scottish newspaper which had full page of cartoon strips,
the first I had seen..
Two things
puzzle me:
Why were
we going to school ten minutes past nine?
I don't
remember leaving home because of the damage.
Here is a list of those killed in the incidents mentioned
in this story.
17
October 1940, Barden Street.
- Alice
Louisa BATTY
- James
Henry Daniel BATTY
- James
Henry William BATTY
20
March 1941, Alabama Street, at 2000 hrs, a High Explosive Land
Mine exploded
- William
Alfred BILLINGHURST aged 61.
- Emma
Elizabeth BILLINGHURST, his wife, aged 60.
- Philip
James BILLINGHURST, their son, aged26.
- Louisa
May BILLINGHURST, their daughter, aged 29.
- Grace
Elizabeth DENNISON, their elder daughter, aged 31 married
to
- Harry
Alwen DENNISON.
- Charles
William CALLOW
- Ethel
Amelia CHURCH
- Maurice
Stanley GROOME
- Eleanor
Minnie NICHOLSON
- Muriel
Eleanor NICHOLSON
- Constance
Delicia PAGE
- Albert
Henry REEVES
- Ann Kilby
TAYLOR
- Arthur
Frederick TAYLOR
- George
Reginald TAYLOR
- Annie
Ethel THYNNE
- Edith
Deby VOICE
23
June 1944, 8-14 Duncroft Road, at 0655 hrs, a V1 Doodlebug exploded
kiling 5 including:
- Elizabeth
HARDMAN,
- Joan
KIRBY
- Louise
KIRBY
26
February 1945, 40-45 Duncroft Road, at 0910 hrs, a V2 Rocket
exploded, 13 killed, 87 injured.
- William
Cyril George EDMONDS, Police Constable
- Ethel
Maude EDMONDS, his wife
- Leslie
George Bert EDMONDS
- Neillie
LUDLOW
- William
James LUDLOW
- Helen
Hanton LUSH (nee LUDLOW)
- Donald
Walter LUSH, aged 11, a pupil of Timbercroft School.
- Winifred
NEWTON
- Robert
PARVIN, building labourer
- Thomas
Alfred THYNME, building labourer
- Ethel
PENNELL
- George
Robert PENNELL
- Amy
Alice TILBURY
Hannah Harris who was researching her family history come across
her Great Uncle Phillip John Terrell's, death certificate, which
stated that he had died on 23rd June 1944 at 8 Duncroft due
to 'war operations'. So this was another victim's name to be
added to the list of those killed. He was 46 at the time and
worked at the Royal Arsenal as an examiner of ammunition.
Regards
Ken Costin
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Here is a
photo of Timbercroft School taken in July 1946.
(Click on
photo for larger view)
Top row 2nd from the right - Valerie Huddy.
Bottom row (left to right) 3 - Anderson, 5
- Ken Costin, 7 - P. Watling, 11 - Susan Hedges, 12 - David
Carrot
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Here is a photo of Anaconda School taken in 1946.
(Click on photo for a larger view)
I am seated in the front row, third from the right.
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Click on photo or a larger view.
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Dig for victory certificate from show at club grounds in Swingate
Lane.
(Click on image for a larger view)
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