more thoughts from afar

The History of Sydenham from Cippenham to present day. Links to photos especially welcome!
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kenny b
Posts: 18
Joined: 27 Nov 2006 22:58
Location: wiltshire

more thoughts from afar

Post by kenny b »

Evening all and hello Malcom ex neighbour!I`m reading thru a lot of older posts as its apparent I`ve been covering some stuff thats well known already.
If no- one objects I`d like to set down some views of life in Sydenham as I recall it, albeit randomly, if it`d interest, I`ve really quite enjoyed thinking hard about those days.
Meanwhile if you don`t know it have a look at www.flyingbombsandrockets; a very well researched site indeed tho` you have to work the links to get deep in to it, Specifically about V1 V2. Horrible things, My dad always said he was safer on the battlefield, and when you look at the plans of the damage you can understand why
Evidently Penge looked like a battlefied, every house damaged.
We kids thought nothing of it as it was all around, and I lived in houses till I left all of which still showed signs of bomb damage, or which were bult on bomb sites.
People think that the hole left is the damage, but it was the blast
/concussion effect that was the real culprit. Blast from these things could wreck houses a 1/4 mile away, thats tiles off roofs, broken windows, doors literally blown off their hinges; They`d find dead people without a mark or sign of injury on them because of blast.

Sadly I can`t find the site that has really good pics of the Croyden Canal.
speaking of which, can`t remeber the name, but the last pub on the right in Dartmouth rd, by the little steep street there, some railings by it? used to have there a large wooden post. pierced at the top by a short iron bar, this post had some deep grooves worn in it and was evidently a relic of the canal ,being a post where barges where tied up,
It had gone last time I looked for it, one can only hope its been preserved somewhere.
Have been looking at the area on google satelite pics: how its changed, difficult to get bearings,
Why is Lewisham council so in love with white paint? can`t believe the road markings everywhere, talk about information overload... or is that me?
leaf
Posts: 590
Joined: 6 Jul 2006 16:17
Location: Not so far away.

Post by leaf »

hi kenny

post away!

I love to hear 'old' stories.

my dad was born in '43,he has told me of the fun him and his friends had playing on bombsites[which as you know were all around for some time after the war],he said they were probably incredibly dangerous,but they still enjoyed them,cant see that being allowed these days,what with health and safety regs!

MY nanny [dads mum] told me about the time their house was bombed and my uncle aged about 3 was in the shelter that was under the table[anderson?]after the bomb had blown out the front wall and everything went quiet,he crawled out saying
'yippee,we've been bombed'
obviously my nanny wasnt as happy about it!

she told me lots of stories about people she knew dying and seeing them relatively unmarked,as you say just the force of the blast.

she said they found a lady she knew holding her granddaughter in her arms,both of them not a mark on them-very sad.

please carry on with your memories,which school did you go to?
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