Following on from Bromley’s waste salvage drive in September 1941, a competition was set up to encourage more salvage of paper from the people of Bromley and the surrounding areas. It appeal to both homes and workplaces, as well as clubs, schools, hospitals and shops to search everywhere, for what means of paper waste they could find. This advert appears in the Bromley Times in January 1942. First Prize £500 Will you help Bromley to win it? £500 will be given to National National and Local Charities, if, for the…
Category: Extracts
Training of Uncertificated Nurses
Orpington Institution and emergency Hospital, Orpington, Kent Training of Uncertificated Nurses The county Council invites applications from persons desirous of training as Assistant Nurses at the Orpington Institution. Previous nursing experience not essential, and successful candidates will undergo two years training in chronic nursing. Salary £50 a year first year, £55 second year, together with the usual residential emoluments. Candidates passing examination successfully at the end of the two years will be eligible for appointment in the county service as Assistant Nurses as salaries of £60 per year, rising by…
Lieutenant Kenneth J. Amos
Lieut. K.J. Amos Awarded MBE (Military Divsion) Lieutenant (temporary captain) Kenneth John Amos, Royal Corps of Signals, is among those whose names appear in the New Year Honours list with the award of M.B.E. (Military Division) for their sterling work. Lieut. Amos is the only son of Mr and Mrs J.H. Amos of 86 Tweedy Road, Bromley. He was educated at St. Olave’s Grammar School, London where he distinguished himself in the studies of languages. He also had an aptitude for technical and engineering subjects, and on leaving school he…
Bringing in the New Year: 1942
The White Hart Hotel, which once stood in the heart of Bromley High Street, was a large premises which hosted a number of events in its heyday. In 1941, the RAF (Bromley branch) hosted a New Years eve dance, which included two tableaux represent the old and new years. The Bromley Times reported on the event in early January 1942. New Year Tableaux The Bromley branch of the Comrades of the Royal Air Force held a very enjoyable dance on New Year’s Eve at the White Hart Hotel, Bromley. A…
The Foxwell Brothers
In this article we focus on the Foxwell family, who resided in the Keston area of Bromley during the second world war years. Their father, George Foxwell was well known in the area, having had connections with many local clubs including Keston Men’s Club, Keston Football Club and Keston Cricket Club. George had served in the first war world with the Motor Transport and the Tank Corps, and his three sons; Leslie, Edward and Kenneth, all followed suit and served with the RAF during World War Two. The article below…
Further Education Courses during 1942
The country may have been at war, but that didn’t stop Kent Education Committee from running Further Education courses in 1942. This advert appeared in the Bromley & District Times in January 1942 advertising to the districts of Bromley, Beckenham and Penge. The courses and classes they ran comprised of Building, Engineering and Commercial subjects in preparation for National Certificates Courses for Air Training Corps, for both Bromley (no. 228) and Beckenham (no. 386) Recreative Classes in Physical Training and Dancing, Music and drama etc. Art and Craft Classes Source:…
Lance Corporal Ernest A. Palin
Family Memories of a war hero After the war Ernest returned to his family and he went to work on the chicken farm at Biggins Hill delivering eggs. He then went to Southlands coaches in Bromley as a coach driver. His youngest son was born in 1947. He stayed at Southlands for a number of years. When the firm closed he went to work for the MOD as a security guard at a weapons testing centre at Pole Hill. Once he left here he formed his own business called ‘Palins…
History of a Famous Ship – H.M.S. Broke
The Royal Navy lost a large number of their capital ships to enemy action during the early part of the second war, and was facing increasing pressure to provide escorts for convoys in the Atlantic. With ships needing to be replaced, Warship Weeks – another of the British National savings campaigns, was set up during the Second World War, with the aim of encouraging a civil community to adopt a Royal Navy warship. Following a successful Warship Week in March 1942, the HMS Broke destroyer was adopted by the civil…
Showing at the Odeon – January 1942
Birth of the Blues Birth of the Blues is a 1941 American musical film whose plot loosely follows the origins and breakthrough success of the Original Dixieland Jass Band. The film was first release in November 1941 and starred the legendary Bing Crosby, Mary Martin and Brian Donlevy. It was directed by Victor Schertzinger. It was well-received by critics on its release, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Cinemas, such as the Odeon, continued operating throughout the war years, and were no doubt a form…
Mr Victor George Thomas Rickman
For Gallantry: British Empire Medal Mr V.G.T. Rickman His Majesty the King has been graciously please to award the British Empire Medal to Mr Victor George Thomas Rickman, 39 Brooklyn Road, Bromley, in recognition of his gallant conduct and good service on the occasion of the enemy attack on London last April. During the __ a high explosive bomb wrecked a shelter and three embers of the Southern Railway staff were killed and four badly injured. Mr Rickman is a clerk at Blackfriars good station. With him on the night…