Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Memories of childhood in wartime Harringay
Welcome to a new member of HOL, Pat Stuart, who has shared these evocative memories of a childhood in wartime Harringay
At 80 years, so pleased to discover this site.
I was born in January 1936, our family lived in a flat above Disney stores in Green lanes.
Early recollections are outbreak of war causing our front windows to be criss crossed with sticky brown paper to protect from blast. This made my view of the trolley bus and other passing traffic difficult to watch as they passed below.
Finsbury Park had huge grey barrage ballons that looked to me like huge floating elephants in the sky helping to keep enemy bombers away. There was also a big gun that I was told was named Big Bertha. During raids my brother and I sat on our flats staircase and felt safe when we heard the big gun.
Later on our family moved to St Ann's road into a ground floor flat of a block called Salisbury Mansions and I started school in Woodlands Park School Infants, later the Junior School whose entrance was at the rear of the buildings. On the way to school was a little bakery on the corner I think of Etherley Road where I could, once a week, buy a sticky bun for a farthing, my weekly treat.
Many children were unfortunate to catch ringworm and we were sent to the clinic in Chestnut Park where treatment was to be announced with gentian violet, sent back to school with violet markers to let all know our plight. I had ringworm on the head and when evacuated with the school in 1941 was completely bald.
For a time, many children were brought home for various reasons and I was one of a number who as schools all closed had the freedom to roam . We got up to many tricks and called ourselves the Chestnut Park gang. Hardly any cars meant the roads were our playground until the powers that be gathered us all up and got the school on again.
The Ever Ready factory in St Ann's road was bombed and our flat windows blew in and glass cut through our parents eiderdown and mattress. Luckily mum and I were in the Morrison shelter and had only few cuts to show for our adventure. My dad and brother were on duty that night dad as ARP warden and John as messenger. Dad was also in the Auxiliary Fire Service and was part of team who saved St Paul Cathedral's when it was hit. The blitz decided my parents that it would be safer to go to sleep in the underground shelter in Manor House tube and I have many memories of those nights .
Just a few memories stirred.
No doubt I'll have more to add as I lived in Harringay until I married in 1954. Good to have a spot for my recall of those times.
Tags for Forum Posts: world war two
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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"Hardly any cars meant the roads were our playground" - sniff :(
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Permalink Reply by Flowermama on
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Amazing memories and such a wonderful history lesson for us all! Keep the stories coming:)
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Thank you for posting Pat and welcome to HoL
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Just noticed that you sheltered at Manor House. I saw an interview a few months ago with the dancer Lionel Blair. His family used to shelter there when he was a lad so you never know, you may have both been trying to get a few winks of sleep on the same platform!
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Permalink Reply by Maddy on
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I saw that programme too - I remember he said that the kids used to jump on the trains, travel down a few stops and then back again, just for something to do.
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Thank you for your recollections. Really fascinating. There are a couple of things that struck me about your story. The first is how much more deadly modern weapons of war are today. You wouldn't have walked away with just a few cuts these days. One bomb completely flattens a radius of 100s of metres these days. An Anderson shelter would be like a piece of tissue against a modern bomb. And a blimp wouldn't be much defence against a MiG 29. The other thing is can you imagine the density of people that live now between St Anns Road and Manor House tube all bunking down in there overnight? Times have certainly changed.
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This a rather disgraceful period in London during WW2. The authorities initially refused to allow people to shelter overnight in underground stations and eventually Londoners forced their way into them in a series of mass civil disobedience actions (I think it started in the East End, lead by the Communist councillors in Poplar when the docks were being bombed almost every night)
There was a terrible direct hit on Bethnal Green tube station one night when a bomb when straight down to the platform level and exploded. Over 170 people were killed. There is a plaque commemorating this on one of the entrances to the present day station.
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That disaster was, if not exactly hushed up, not spoken about for decades - the plaque is relatively recent.
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Similar thing with a direct hit on Bank tube station too Maddy. You can still see the shrapnel scars in the walls of the Bank of England.
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You're right Tris. My apologies.
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Thanks for posting- more stories please!
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Hi Pat Staurt, till 1954. I was born in Frome Street Islington, then my Dad moved us to, 5c Grand Parade Harringay, above the Shops. I was 4 years old at the time.The name of the Store was " Tonges " a Grocery shop. ( just after the War it became " TESCO " ) You seem to have similar memories of life in that area, Caves the Wonderful Bakery, that also made Fantastic Donuts, as well as those scrumptious sticky Buns. I also remember Salisbury Mansions, I was very sweet on a girl, who lived in a Flat in the bottom right hand. Her name was Pat Blight, if I remember rightly, she was a real nice person, and treated me as her " good friend " which I thought at the time was great. Did you ever go scrubping in the Hospital Grounds in St Ann's road, which was opposite the Woodlands Park ??? I used to love that Park and spent most of my younger years there. The Eveready, from our Flat in Harringay I saw the Buzz Bomb ( Doodle Bugs ) hit the Building, it was like a giant fireworks display. We never went to any Shelters, my Mother, bless her soul," said if we are going to die, it would be as a Family " I spent many a night watching the Buzz Bombs flying in the night sky, it was like a " Boys Own " time. Yes I also went to Woodlands Park Infants Schoo, then on to the Primary School at the back. Finishing up at South Grove School. The Big Guns in Finsbury Park at Manor House, with the Barrage Baloons,( Woodlands Park also had Baloons ) those Guns were going full tilt, on most nights, if my memory serves me right. You would also remember the Harringay Dog Track, that doubled for the Dirt Track Speedway, I used to bunk in the on the night with a few mates. Then there was the Harringay Arena, with all the shows and the Roller Skating Speedway American Style ( Johnny Gazar was one of there Star Skaters ) Sorry for going on but I've only scratched the surface of my time, in " Lovely Old Harringay " in my youth. My time in Harringay was a fun and Safe place to be, I enjoyed every minute I lived there. Sorry to say " I would hate to live there now, " each time I come back, for a trip, 4 times so far, each time it looks worst. We moved out of Harringay in November 1964, and settled in Brisbane Australia, it was the Best Move in our Life. I have everything one could wish for,but I will say this " I always enjoy my trips back home to London, as the saying goes " You can take the Boy out of Harringay but not the Harringay out of the Boy " Cheers everyone, I hope there are still someone who remembers me. Eddie Constable is my name, Thanks.
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