Recognition for Bravery Red Cross Distinguished War Service Certificate The many friends of Mrs Ethel A. Pond, MBE, Commandant Kent 50 Voluntary Aid Detachment, will be delighted to hear that she has been awarded the British Red Cross Society’s Distinguished War Service Certificate or devotion to duty on the night of a severe raid in April. She went out with the mobile canteen serving tea and light refreshments to firemen and members of the Civil Defence Services in the midst of danger always, and at times under the arch of…
Month: November 2020
Sergeant Peter David Devereux
Lost at Sea Sergeant P.D. Devereux, R.A.F. Sergeant Peter David Devereux, aged 22, who has been reported “missing” while on an R.A.F. patrol at sea, joined the R.A.F. before the present war began. He was in action in France last year and was wounded. Sergeant Devereux’s parents have until recently been living at Bourne Way, Hayes. His wife, formally a Miss Keech, of Faversham, Kent, has received a letter from the Flight Commander of Sergeant Devereux’s squadron, in which he pays a high tribute to his ability and personal charm. …
Bad Traffic Lights
It’s strange to imagine a world without traffic lights, as they have now become a necessity in keeping our busy roads safe and less chaotic. Before traffic lights, police controlled the flow of traffic using hand signals. The world’s first traffic light was installed in London in December 1868. It as a gas-lit signal operated manually by a policeman. Unfortunately this model had limited success, as less than a month later it exploded after it was implemented, injuring its operator. The more modern electric traffic light was developed in 1912…
Gunner Sydney Bax: Wedding
A member of an old Bromley family was married at St John’s, Eden Park, on Saturday, when the bridegroom was Mr Sidney Bax (now Gunner, R.A.), eldest son of Mr and Mrs S. Bax, of The Cottage, 11 Upper Park Road, Bromley, and the bride , Miss Gwendoline Prior, second eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs W. Prior, of 338 Upper Elmers End Road, Beckenham. The Rev. W. J. Berry, M.A., officiated, and appropriate music was played before and after the ceremony, the hymn, “O Perfect Love,” being sung during…
Canteen Truck donation to Bromley Fire Service, 1941
The donor, Mrs King, with the canteen she presented to Bromley Fire Services. On the left are Mr E. Ford Duncanson and the Mayor (Councillor H. Lynch Watson), and on the right Dr. K.E. Tapper and Fire Chief A.B. Craig. Source: Bromley & District Times, 18th July 1941 (page 5)
Complaints about Food Waste, 1941
Looks like complaints about food waste is not a new phenomenon. Although it seems comical now, this complaint printed in the Bromley & District newspaper in February 1941 shows a real disgust at the thought of people wasting their unwanted sandwiches! Coats Off I dunno. Some people don’t realise there is a war on. Three times a week somebody leaves a packet of fresh sandwiches in a public convenience in Sidcup. On the floor, too – so they are to all intents spoiled. We journalists (hum!) like to weave stories…
Squadron-Leader Barrie Heath
Born in Warwickshire in 1916, Squadron Leader Barrie Heath was a son of Mr G.R. Heath. He saw active service in 1940 with No. 611 Squadron RA, flying in the Spitfire IIa P7883 “Grahame Heath”, which had been donated by his father in memory of his brother Grahame, who had died in service in the first world war. It was in this Spitfire that Heath fought in the Battle of Britain, for which he received his medal. A memory of him, written on the 611 Squadron website, noted that he…
Who was Lord Woolton?
Frederick James Marquis, was an English Businessman and politician, born and raised in Lancashire. During World War two Woolton was one of a number of businessmen (including Sir Andrew Duncan, Lord Leathers, Oliver Lyttelton, and P. J. Grigg) who became became non-party ministers, brought into government to help with the war effort. In April 1940, Woolton was appointed Minister of Food, and established the rationing system, generally regarded as a success. He maintained food imports from America, kept prices down and organised a programme of free school meals. At the beginning of the…
Dr Kenneth Edwin Tapper
Awarded the George Medal Dr. Kenneth E. Tapper, O.B.E, Medical Officer of Health for Bromley, and head of the A.P.R. Casualty Services, has been awarded the George Medal for bravery during air raids. On many occasions he has crawled under wreckage to search for and give treatment to injured casualties pinned down by debris. When people were buried beneath the wreckage of a German aeroplane and two houses, Dr. Tapper gave medical aid to the victims while large unexploded bombs were removed. He has shown great gallantry in his efforts…
Don’t Delay – install an Incendiary Bomb Detector today, 1941
London had suffered 57 days of non-stop bombing from the Luftwaffe in 1940 – it was relentless. There must have been many bombs that failed to explode, so there must have been a ready made market for such a device. This advert for an Incendiary Bomb Detector appeared in the local Bromley Times newspaper in July 1941. Incendiary Bomb Detector Incendiary Bombs can be rendered non-effective If they are Dealt with Promptly This can be done if you install a detector. Many Installations completed – automatic – inexpensive DON’T DELAY…