"Where are the Germans?" a 65 year old labourer from Edmonton was reported to have asked the constable waking him from a drunken sleep, the penalty for which is a 2s 6d fine in the Tottenham Police Court.
It's the first week of the war and, in the local area, many men are leaving for the war, leading to a curtailing of the tram system in Wood Green, due to staff shortages. The Muswell Hill single deck motor buses are commandeered for transport services. A young German football player, recently signed for Spurs, is given 2 hours notice to return to Germany "to do his duty" and a 19 year old 'deserter' from Woolwich is caught and awaits an escort in Tottenham. The White Hart Lane recruitment office isn't seeing a rush to enlist but reports "a constant procession" of enquiries.
Shops report runs on basic foodstuffs, prices are going up rapidly and some rationing is introduced at the Edmonton Co-op.
A 16 year boy from Wood Green, on a school trip, is trapped in central France by the outbreak of war but reassures his mother he is fine, as he tucks into 20 egg omelettes and huge bowls of cream and goes for bike rides.
The mounted King Edward’s Horse Regiment sent to Alexandra Palace and Park becomes an everyday sight on Bounds Green Road and other local streets.
This local war news comes from a page of the Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald [pdf] from the 7th August 1914, a letter from Syd Smith and a photo of the regiment all published by Bruce Castle Museum as part of their online exhibition to commemorate the Great War.
The aim is to develop the exhibition over the next 4 years to reflect the course of the war with material from the Haringey archives. Looks like an interesting project to watch over the coming months.
See also Harringay Remembers
Tags for Forum Posts: world war 1
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