Geoffrey Hermon
WW2 and VE Day Memories 1945
WW2 and VE Day Memories 1945
I came to live in Croxley Green with my parents in January 1945. I was 12 years old and went to Durrants School. My family had moved from a tiny village in Essex not far from Basildon and the Tilbury docks that were across The Thames from Gravesend. The whole of this area during WW2 being close to the river, was used by the German bombers as a gateway into London, especially during The Blitz 1940/41.
Tilbury and Gravesend were just many Thames side areas used by warships when not at sea . We often saw them as well as seeing and hearing the V1 rockets. Once launched from occupied France, they flew without a pilot until running out of fuel and crashing down, blowing up large areas of London. Later the V2 rocket could travel at the speed of sound and as we watched them fly overhead we knew the devastation they would soon be causing. One of these landed on a football pitch nearby to my village in Essex. When safe to do so we would collect any pieces of metal as souvenirs. I still have some of mine as well as bullets.
Moving to the countryside in Croxley Green, one would have expected a quieter life, and I was surprised to know it too had suffered several German bombing incidents with dramatic consequences. Apart from the area around Scots Hill having been bombed twice, cottages close to the Metropolitan Station also had serious consequences with an oil bomb.
My father worked at the nearby Watford Steam Laundry in charge of making sure the right mix of chemicals were correct to perform a water softner for the laundry processing.
We lived close by to the canal and I would often go down and watch the barges and narrow boats going through the lock. Many were crewed by women, they were the equivalent of Land Army Girls who worked on the farms.
As they worked on the Inland Waterways they were given the names IW girls (Inland Waterways) and were unkindly nicknamed the Idle Women because of the initials. The boat crews numbered three women to handle the diesel-powered narrow boats, each one towing its butty boat. The work was hard; each pair of boats carried heavy loads of up to 50 tonnes – mainly steel from London to Birmingham, before returning to the capital laden with Warwickshire coal to be shovelled directly on to canal side factory wharves. John Dickinson would have relied on coal being brought from the Midlands as the mill ran on steam powered by coal. They often chose places to moor overnight where they had access to grocery provisions . Winter times could be very difficult if the canal froze over and trying to keep warm. Getting the goods delivered as well as opening/shutting so many heavy lock gates , it was a tough life.
Also within my ‘playground’ of Common Moor, on the far side near the Level Crossing and Tolpits Lane that ran from Rickmansworth to Watford, was an area requisitioned for growing extra food. This was often used for growing some kind of wheat /cereals.
When VE day was announced by Mr. Churchill, 8th May 1945, I was at school and our Woodwork teacher Mr. Styles said we did not have to attend school the next day! Many street parties were planned and I think ours was the next day. An impromptu collection was made to provide sandwiches, cake and fruit squash for the children. Rationing of food was still very much in place with Ration Books for everyone. Many children wore Fancy Dress or parents just made a paper hat for us. Bunting was brought out and the streets were made to look like a celebration. The party started when most dads returned home from work, so whole families could be together.
After the war, many of the the German prisoners who could be supervised and utilised for work, were seen digging the roads for sewers etc. They worked on the area bought by Rickmansworth Urban District Council to provide Prefabricated houses to be erected at the top of Baldwins Lane. These were temporary houses as so many people had lost their homes. They were later replaced and named the road Grove Crescent replacing the prefabs with houses and flats. The German soldiers would often swap any of their German badges etc for cigarettes!.
Tilbury and Gravesend were just many Thames side areas used by warships when not at sea . We often saw them as well as seeing and hearing the V1 rockets. Once launched from occupied France, they flew without a pilot until running out of fuel and crashing down, blowing up large areas of London. Later the V2 rocket could travel at the speed of sound and as we watched them fly overhead we knew the devastation they would soon be causing. One of these landed on a football pitch nearby to my village in Essex. When safe to do so we would collect any pieces of metal as souvenirs. I still have some of mine as well as bullets.
Moving to the countryside in Croxley Green, one would have expected a quieter life, and I was surprised to know it too had suffered several German bombing incidents with dramatic consequences. Apart from the area around Scots Hill having been bombed twice, cottages close to the Metropolitan Station also had serious consequences with an oil bomb.
My father worked at the nearby Watford Steam Laundry in charge of making sure the right mix of chemicals were correct to perform a water softner for the laundry processing.
We lived close by to the canal and I would often go down and watch the barges and narrow boats going through the lock. Many were crewed by women, they were the equivalent of Land Army Girls who worked on the farms.
As they worked on the Inland Waterways they were given the names IW girls (Inland Waterways) and were unkindly nicknamed the Idle Women because of the initials. The boat crews numbered three women to handle the diesel-powered narrow boats, each one towing its butty boat. The work was hard; each pair of boats carried heavy loads of up to 50 tonnes – mainly steel from London to Birmingham, before returning to the capital laden with Warwickshire coal to be shovelled directly on to canal side factory wharves. John Dickinson would have relied on coal being brought from the Midlands as the mill ran on steam powered by coal. They often chose places to moor overnight where they had access to grocery provisions . Winter times could be very difficult if the canal froze over and trying to keep warm. Getting the goods delivered as well as opening/shutting so many heavy lock gates , it was a tough life.
Also within my ‘playground’ of Common Moor, on the far side near the Level Crossing and Tolpits Lane that ran from Rickmansworth to Watford, was an area requisitioned for growing extra food. This was often used for growing some kind of wheat /cereals.
When VE day was announced by Mr. Churchill, 8th May 1945, I was at school and our Woodwork teacher Mr. Styles said we did not have to attend school the next day! Many street parties were planned and I think ours was the next day. An impromptu collection was made to provide sandwiches, cake and fruit squash for the children. Rationing of food was still very much in place with Ration Books for everyone. Many children wore Fancy Dress or parents just made a paper hat for us. Bunting was brought out and the streets were made to look like a celebration. The party started when most dads returned home from work, so whole families could be together.
After the war, many of the the German prisoners who could be supervised and utilised for work, were seen digging the roads for sewers etc. They worked on the area bought by Rickmansworth Urban District Council to provide Prefabricated houses to be erected at the top of Baldwins Lane. These were temporary houses as so many people had lost their homes. They were later replaced and named the road Grove Crescent replacing the prefabs with houses and flats. The German soldiers would often swap any of their German badges etc for cigarettes!.
Geoffrey was a member of Croxley Camera Club and below are some of his photographs
1969 Rounders on The Green taken by G Hermon
Pre 1969 Cattle on Common Moor taken by G Hermon
c1974 Dickinson's mill at dusk taken by G Hermon
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c1970 The War Memorial taken by G Hermon
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Common Moor lock under repair taken by G Hermon
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c 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee taken by G Hermon
c1998 Croxley Revels Parade taken by G Hermon
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