Brixton history - why did it decline after its '20s heyday?
- Thread starter nick h.
- Start date
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
There's a V2 in the Imperial war Museum. Local children have made tiny little toys which surround it, representing the children killed...it's a chilling exhibit. Made me cry.
My grandad rented 136 Brixton Road, a couple of minutes walk from the Russel Hotel (now closed) and had all of his 8 children living there through the war and for a long time afterwards (their first house was destroyed by bomb damage) plus they used to take in boarders, soldiers sailors or whoever to help make ends meet.
My mum and dad both vividly remember (my dad died in 92) doodlebugs and how scary they were. My dad told me that they were both completely different. As has been said the v1s were noisy and you prayed that the engine would not cut out while in earshot, while the V2, unless you saw it coming you knew almost nothing until there was a huge explosion. The v2s obliterated virtually everything for a big radius, and were far more powerful than the V1s.
My mum and dad both vividly remember (my dad died in 92) doodlebugs and how scary they were. My dad told me that they were both completely different. As has been said the v1s were noisy and you prayed that the engine would not cut out while in earshot, while the V2, unless you saw it coming you knew almost nothing until there was a huge explosion. The v2s obliterated virtually everything for a big radius, and were far more powerful than the V1s.
mysterybadger
Well-Known Member
V2s were far far worse. They must have vapourised areas
To give you an idea the whole Asda/Lidl/Boots retail site on Lavender Hill in Battersea was taken out by a V2 and all the surrounding houses are still a bit wonky as a result. The Germans were planning to massively ramp up the scale of V2 attacks plus bring on some "supergun" type WMDs to target London but fortunately the bases were overrun by the Normandy invasions. Otherwise everywhere would look like Newham.
To give you an idea the whole Asda/Lidl/Boots retail site on Lavender Hill in Battersea was taken out by a V2 and all the surrounding houses are still a bit wonky as a result. The Germans were planning to massively ramp up the scale of V2 attacks plus bring on some "supergun" type WMDs to target London but fortunately the bases were overrun by the Normandy invasions. Otherwise everywhere would look like Newham.
Here's the first V2 to land in London, on Steveley Rd in Chiswick W4.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3634212.stm
if you click on enlarge image, you can see the full scale of the destruction.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3634212.stm
if you click on enlarge image, you can see the full scale of the destruction.
Good link. My Grandparents both lived in that area through the blitz, my great-grandad was the caretaker at Chiswick Baths and my Grandad would stand up on the diving board watching out for 'doodlebugs'. Loved all their stories about London during the blitz when I was a kid.
so why did so many land in Brixton? They must have been targetted towards this area unless they were all meant to fall on central London and were way off target
Bombs landed all over the place. My village in rural Wales got hit by the Luftwaffe who were getting rid of unused bombs to lighten their load back to Germany after destroying Swansea docks.
davesgcr
Reading books
Too right about the Swansea blitz (SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC) - A hen house and graveyard in Brynamman copped it from early jetisons by a Heinkel (story from my old man who was blasting away at the b~~~~ards with a 12 bore - hopeless but made him feel better !)
Seriously - much of inner SW London got plagued by V2 - Croydon in particular and the street I used to live on in SW19 had several gaps in the otherwise solid terraced housing where German bombs of various sorts landed short of the City and West End
Seriously - much of inner SW London got plagued by V2 - Croydon in particular and the street I used to live on in SW19 had several gaps in the otherwise solid terraced housing where German bombs of various sorts landed short of the City and West End
